Pride and Prejudice and Politics
by CorrieLikesStory
Summary: Elena Benitez heads home for a short vacation and to work her parents' rental cabins while her father recuperates. When one of the elite guests falls hard for her older sister, Elena is uneasy. He's a politician and her sister is a 'dreamer,' an illegal immigrant. Not to mention his friend, an arrogant political consultant who constantly gets under Elena's skin...
1. Chapter 1

Elena drove her car up the winding mountain road, in and out of the sunlight. More of the trees had grown back since she was home last summer, and more of the blackened trunks had been removed. It was starting to look as it had five years ago, before the McBroom fire. If she had time, she should probably take a weed-whacker to the trails around the cabins, to cut back any poison ivy or stinging nettles overgrowing the paths. The underbrush was quite thick from the extra sunlight, but that made the fire hazard higher this year. She made another mental note to add a warning to the check-in notes in each cabin.

Her parents managed four cabins near Bearclaw, California. They were lucky having a steady income, even though it didn't go far in the expensive resort town.

Elena parked in the narrow extra spot above Thurfield Cabin. A wooden railing separated her from a twenty-foot drop-off. This cabin was not recommended for kids, as noted on the booking site, as the grounds were too steep. The bottom two floors of the three-story house were half buried in the mountain.

A rustic wooden walkway led to the upper entrance. Elena ran her hand on the split-log railing. It was starting to splinter. She'd need to sand down the cut sides, and add a couple coats of lacquer.

Inside the luxurious house, Elena went on a quick tour to take stock. She'd been delayed at the previous cabin and she only had two hours until the next check-in.

Elena was relieved to see the mess wasn't as bad as they feared. Her mom had been worried about the graduation party hosted here last night, but it looked like the tenants had made a good-faith effort to clean up this morning before they left.

Still, there was confetti trapped in the line between the carpet and the walls, a stain of some sort on the den wall that may or may not come off with a Magic Eraser, and the couch - she sniffed again to be sure - smelled like beer. She could remove the cushion covers and throw them in the washing machine, but the other things would have to be cleaned by hand. Hopefully Febreze would handle the smell.

Then there was the normal stuff to be done - bleach wipe the kitchen and bathroom surfaces, also doorknobs and light switches. Vacuum. Swiffer. Windex the patio doors.

Elena turned on a podcast and stuck the earbuds in. She was good at flipping cabins - if she said so herself - and it was a little exhilarating to see what she could do by three o'clock.

She started with the couch first, so the covers would have time to dry and the cushions time to air out. Then she squirted the toilets with cleaner so they could sit for ten minutes, while she Mr. Cleaned the first bathtub. This kind of mad cleaning was like a dance, hitting each beat in the right order to finish on the last note.

Not that she particularly wanted to be cleaning during the first day of her vacation, but she was glad it was in her power to help her dad. He'd worked so hard to help her go to UC Northridge – she was almost done, too – and the least she could do was help him maintain the cabins so he didn't lose the job while he was unable to walk.

Elena made steady progress for an hour and a half when she heard the door open.

A brief moment of panic hit her, before her sister Noa sang out, "Elena, I'm here to help."

Noa stuck her head into the kitchen, where Elena was scrubbing queso off the stove top. Her heart-shaped face looked fresh and beautiful despite having taken care of toddlers all day. "Mom asked me to come by since we had a short day. She said the guest just increased his stay to two weeks."

That was good news. The fewer flips, the more steady the income. And their mom was excited about the group coming to Thurfield this week. The man who made the reservation was a state representative. Her mom was thrilled, though probably not as thrilled as she'd be if he was an actor or other celebrity. Elena just hoped he had no complaints. Her father hadn't been maintaining the cabins too well all spring, and if this politician complained to the owner…

Noa pulled her wavy black hair into a ponytail and wet a sponge in the sink. "I'll finish with that stain on the wall. I know they gross you out." Noa handled unknown fluids in a way Elena could only distantly admire. Literally, distant, because she usually backed away once Noa got going.

The final count down was on, and Elena felt a buzz of adrenaline as she and Noa finished all the last-minute details.

Really, her mom should have scheduled a day between the two groups of guests, because of that party last night, but at least this time it would work out. Noa wrestled the last couch cushion back into its cover, while Elena lit two scented candles and placed them on the polished granite countertop of the wet bar.

Elena and Noa stowed and locked the cleaning supplies under the stairs, and were just getting back to the upper driveway when a sports car pulled up. Elena groaned. She'd hoped the guests wouldn't arrive at the stroke of three. Generally her family tried to be out of the way when customers arrived.

But there was nothing to be done about it now. At least Bearclaw was a casual community, and most visitors appreciated the small-town feel. At any rate, a car was pulling up to the garage now, barely ten feet away, and it would be more than awkward if she and Noa tried to sneak away. Thankfully, Noa had parked further up the road so at least the garage was empty.

Elena waved and smiled. She could see a man and woman in the front of the car, and somebody tall in the backseat.

They paused in front of the garage and the front window rolled down.

"Hello, welcome to Thurfield Cabin," Elena said. "We hope you enjoy your stay. If you have any questions, please let us know."

That was all she was planning to say, unless they had questions right that second. Most people wanted to get settled in on their own.

The driver pushed his sunglasses up into his thick blond hair, and smiled. "Thanks so much. I'm sure we'll be fine."

The woman in the passenger seat leaned forward. "I do have a question. How long does the jacuzzi need to heat up?"

"Not long at all. Start it up and give it twenty minutes or so."

"And where is the extra fridge? Marta wanted to know whether she should bring a cooler for the bar." She added this last to the driver.

He grinned at Elena and Noa. "I guess we do have some questions. Do you mind waiting a moment while I park?"

Elena shrugged as they pulled in. "You can take off," she told Noa. "I'll settle them in."

Noa hugged her. "I'm so glad you're back for a few weeks! See you later."

But before Noa could escape, the man was crossing the wooden walkway to them, his hand outstretched. "Hi, I'm Charles Lee."

Elena shook his hand. "Mr. Lee, we're so happy-"

"Call me Charles. Thanks for meeting us here." His smile was even more dazzling up-close. A good-guy, dimples-all-around kind of smile. Elena could already see why he'd been elected.

He shook hands with Elena and then Noa. "Sisters? A family business, I love that. This is my sister, Caroline."

Caroline had clearly come ready for the jacuzzi that was prominently displayed in the rental ad. She wore a peach bikini and a sheer navy-blue overdress. Her sparkly sandals had a spike heel. When she leaned over the edge of the drop-off to look down, Noa reached to steady her.

"Careful," Noa said cheerfully. "A few of those boards are rotten."

Elena loved Noa dearly, but wow, she had no business sense at all. Did she really need to point out the rotten wood? The last thing they needed was a review saying, "Nice view, too bad the place is falling apart."

Elena smiled briskly. "Let me show you the extra fridge and freezer, then we'll get out of your way."

In the shade of the pine trees, where they stood, it was quite breezy and cool. Caroline shivered in her bikini as she returned her attention to them. "Right. I have several questions. The pictures on the website really didn't make clear exactly how much space there would be for entertaining."

A second man exited the garage slowly. He was closing a laptop with one hand and pulling a plain business suitcase with the other.

Elena couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but it seemed to her that he didn't even register her and Noa, so completely did he ignore them. He was quite tall, and had the stiffest posture she'd ever seen.

"Which room should I take?" he asked Caroline. "Did you have a preference?"

"Not at all, just take whichever you like."

He turned toward the house without another word.

Caroline continued to talk as she followed him into the house. And Elena followed her, feeling a distinct premonition of difficult times to come.


	2. Chapter 2

Darcy entered the cabin with a pounding headache. He loved the mountains, but the altitude was already wearing on him. He wasn't sure if it was because of his unusual exhaustion, or perhaps dehydration. Too much coffee, not enough water. He'd been absolutely slammed with work the last two weeks, and had gotten less than four hours of sleep a night for far too long.

Caroline had been wearing on him as well. He'd been dubious about sharing a ride with her and Charles, but his BMW had been recalled for a tire defect, and Charles had insisted he could drive with them and rent a car later. Darcy hadn't minded once he gave in, realizing that even a three-hour car trip was more than he wanted right now. He'd thought he might even doze a little while.

Caroline had made that impossible. He'd actually become thankful that she was prone to carsickness, and could be coerced into the front seat with her brother on the twisty mountain roads.

Darcy set his laptop on the dining room table. The surface looked clean, but rings were visible on the pale wood and burn marks from errant candles or cigarettes. The room smelled like cleaning fluid and some kind of overly sweet apple scent. Probably masking something much worse.

He tried to reign in his bad temper as he began replying to email. There was a new slurry of Trump-related news items to sort through. The political action committee, or PAC, his father had begun, that Darcy now more-or-less headed, supported many local Republican candidates who were completely at sea on how to respond to Trump's election run. Trump had just won the Indiana delegates and it was looking more and more like he would be the final candidate. The usual advice depended largely on each person's region and the demographic makeup of their constituency. Sadly their own convictions were a last consideration.

He sighed. Sometimes Darcy hated his job. He'd known, of course, that politics was not all ideals and policy and pristine negotiation...especially not the financial end of it... but Trump's meteoric rise over the last few months was showing how hollow it had truly become. Not that Darcy resented people who supported Trump, but the cold calculations going on behind the scene—that wearied him.

He respected most of the candidates who were emailing him personally. Some were cautious, they were playing the game, but they wanted tacit permission to blast Trump if needed. Would they still have the support of his PAC when their election came along? Others were asking the opposite. If they supported Trump over the candidate they knew Darcy had privately supported, would they be cut loose? Most needed the incredible on-the-ground organization his group could exert for them.

Almost none of them gave their actual opinion of Trump. Not, he was sure, because they didn't have one, but because it almost didn't matter at this point. Even the most idealistic, like Charles, soon had their eyes opened. Elections were about numbers. Polls, dollars-raised, and minutes of airtime.

Darcy copied and pasted his form letter of encouragement/condolence/warning and tweaked it for each correspondent. Some of these men and women he knew personally, but many lived in his mind mainly as files with the occasional handshake.

While most in America were already sick of election coverage, they could (at least theoretically) look away. That wasn't an option for Darcy.

Caroline came in with one of the cleaning girls, and Darcy massaged the back of his neck as her voice rose. His computer also beeped that his mobile wifi hotspot was failing. What a wonderful vacation.

Caroline's voice was shrill now. "Where are the sheets?" she demanded.

"Guests are responsible for their own linens," came the reply. "I'm sorry, but it does make it clear during booking that customers bring their own bedding and towels. It's the norm for rentals in Bearclaw."

"That's ridiculous. Everyone can't possibly be trucking up here with all their household goods. What's the point of the rental?"

Caroline came through the kitchen and leaned a hip against the table next to him.

"We can provide towels for a small surcharge, and there are several nice and affordable shops in the valley," the girl told her. "You'll just need to purchase a few things for the three of you."

Caroline's jaw twitched. Unless Darcy was much mistaken, Caroline was on the brink of walking out. Her gaze traveled over the living room, which opened out from the dining nook. Her gaze lingered on a wet patch on the wall, a few tightly bulging couch cushions, and every other imperfection. He didn't love the place at first sight, either. He wasn't sure whether to hope she threw a fit and ended the vacation, or gave in.

Caroline exhaled through her nose, " _If_ that really was in the contract..."

"I can pull it up on my phone, if you like." The woman kept a polite smile plastered on her face, as she pulled out her phone and quickly did so.

Caroline read through it with pursed lips. "I see that here, but I'm sure Charles looked at this before—" She broke off as the taller girl and Charles entered the house, laughing.

This one was smiling as she finished a story. "And then-the little girl never looks away, totally calm-she says, 'That's how ponies die with honor.' Her papi's face was hysterical."

Charles laughed again. "I can totally see it." He settled his arm over his sister's shoulders. "I told Noa she ought to come in and wait for her sister inside. Are you all set?"

"No, I am not." Caroline began to pour out the woes of the house to her brother.

As they passed back through the living room, Darcy looked up and caught the eye of the shorter sister.

He hadn't really looked at her outside. He was surprised now to realize that while he'd barely noted _young, Hispanic_ , he'd failed to note intelligence and directness.

She raised her eyebrows at him, and he asked abruptly, "Wifi password?"

"It's written in the kitchen, I can grab it for you."

"Thanks."

She disappeared and returned with a small green post-it note which she placed next to his hand. Her long fingers had flecks of paint on them. They quivered slightly as she set down the paper.

Darcy glanced up at her, but realized she was focused on Caroline's conversation.

"No sheets, towels, nothing! And we'll have at least four or five guests. Darcy's sister might bring her friends. And then there's your birthday party..."

Charles grimaced sheepishly. "Sorry, Car, I must have skimmed the contract and missed that bit. We'll just ask Marta to grab things on her way in. She's only an hour behind us, right?"

"But that adds at least another two hours and I wanted to have everything ready for dinner… I haven't even made it to the kitchen or the other bedrooms," Caroline told her brother. "This house doesn't come with anything but the light fixtures. What about blankets?"

The taller sister replied happily, "There are quilts and extra blankets in the chests in each room. It does get quite cool at night.

Did Charles just wink at her? Darcy felt his headache intensify. They'd barely talked for ten minutes. She was beautiful, sure, but come on.

Charles squeezed Caroline's shoulders. "You've been dying to get out of the heat in the valley, and here we are. This is just a little hitch. Noa and Elena—is that right?— I don't mind going into town. Where should I go?"

Elena moved away from Darcy. "Actually, if it's that much trouble, I can run the errand for you."

Caroline waved Elena away, as if she were a living display of a towel-less bathroom, instead of a woman offering to go above and beyond for their comfort.

Charles said. "Would you two show me where to pick up sheets? If you don't have anywhere else to be, that is. You can make sure I get whatever we need."

Caroline looked distinctly non-plussed. "You have so many more important things to do with your time."

Elena didn't look any more enthusiastic than Caroline did, but her sister beamed at Charles. "We could do that. This is our last cabin today."

Darcy groaned in his head and went to get a drink of water.

Charles came into the kitchen a few minutes later with tennis shoes in hand, already changed into cargo shorts and casual shirt: the quintessential Californian on vacation. He sat in the wooden rocking chair the filled a corner of the large kitchen.

"Noa and her sister are going to take me to the nearest source of cotton. Want to come?"

There was so much wrong with this, Darcy winced. Charles was a wonderful guy. A people person who immediately memorized names and made people comfortable. It made him a fantastic politician—and friend—but not always prudent. "You learned their names awfully fast."

"They introduced themselves outside."

"You know what I mean. Come on Charles, we've been here five minutes."

Charles slipped his second shoe on. "My biggest problem today will be selecting sheets fast enough to preempt Caroline's panic attack. It's a relief. Try to relax."

"I am."

"No, you're not. You're handling me," he said lightly but with a real warning in his voice. "Besides, I promised Gigi I would make you relax for a few days at least. Come." He grinned, so innocently as only Charles could grin. "Noa's sister is quite pretty, too."

"Name a single thing we have in common with them. You're lucky they speak English."

Charles shook his head. "Your loss."

"I can't tell you how much it's not."

"Fine. Be back in a few."


	3. Chapter 3

Elena's mouth opened but she sucked back an angry retort. She and Noa were not a complementary part of the rental. She hadn't gotten a creep-vibe off Charles, but maybe she'd been wrong. And the other guy!

She tried to focus on the list she was jotting down—to get Caroline's approval before they left—but the words she'd overheard rang in her head.

This was just the way the service industry was, you couldn't get bent out of shape about a few rude comments. It wasn't personal.

Except she _was_ bent out of shape.

How dare he speak so loudly when he knew they were still in the house?

Elena pressed cold fingers against her hot cheeks to cool them. It's not like they hadn't had jerks here before.

Elena forced her tense fingers to relax their grip on the pen. Two weeks pay, she reminded herself - and probably a lot of extras along the way.

She took the list back to Caroline who begrudgingly authorized the purchases. "What about these towels from your mother? Are they in good condition?" she asked.

"Yes. Used, but good."

Charles came back, sliding his wallet into a pocket. "Don't stress, Caroline, it's not like we can't afford it."

"That's not the point. It's so unnecessary. Wasteful."

"Eh, we'll donate them or something. Is this the list? Let's go."

Caroline headed to the hot tub, and Elena escorted Charles and Noa out. The rude guy sat back down at the table, but he finally looked up from his screen as they left. Elena met his eyes with an instinctive challenge. _We're right here, got anything to say?_

He looked at her, perhaps more intently since he'd just insulted her. Elena raised her eyebrows again, and had the satisfaction of his eyes cutting away. He cleared his throat, "Grab me a coffee while you're out. The altitude's messing with my head."

He disappeared behind his screen again, and Elena almost snorted. She wasn't sure whether he was talking to her or his friend, but either way it was rude.

An hour later, they dropped Charles back at the cabin with his purchases, plus two cups of coffee. "I've got to keep Darcy happy," Charles had said with a laugh, "I'm really just a glorified paper-pusher. He's the brains behind it all."

They waved goodbye and Elena drove Noa up to where she'd left her car.

Elena had been on the lookout for sleaze, for Charles to seriously come onto Noa, but he'd been… nice. Funny, gentlemanly, not an ounce of scuzz.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Noa said. She put her hand on the door handle but didn't open it yet. "He's so… normal, for a politician. I didn't expect that."

"I felt very third-wheel considering you just met him."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's fine. I'm glad you had a good time."

Noa got in her little Honda and waved as she pulled away.

The sun was behind the mountains now, casting the road in shadow. Elena rolled her windows down and let the cool air swirl around her. The smog that flowed up from Los Angeles every day had mostly cleared away. The few clouds were pink and orange and the sky was an unbroken swath of gray-blue.

She too had gotten coffee right before they came back-decaf with cream-and she sipped it appreciatively as she drove home to her parents' house.

Probably Charles' friend Darcy wouldn't even drink the coffee brought back for him. They'd stopped at the coffeehouse run by Elena and Noa's aunt - where they always directed guests - and it was good, but not much above Starbucks.

At home, which was a small, two-story condo just a few blocks from the tiny downtown, Elena found her mom and dad watching the news.

The lamps and the overhead lights were on, making the cluttered living and dining room overly bright. It was hot inside with the oven on for dinner.

Elena's younger sister, Valerie, was sitting at the little oval table in the kitchen. She had on a bright pink jumpsuit, and was painting polka dots on her toenails while Facetiming with her friend.

"He is! It's _Giana's_ brother. He's staying for two weeks with some politician from Sacramento." Valerie set the phone on the counter while she screwed the lid on the neon green polish. She fished an Oreo out of the crinkly, blue container. "Yeah, my mom took towels to the cabin just now and she recognized him! Oh, Elena's back. Did you meet him Elena? The Lee's friend? Do you know who he _is_?"

Elena grabbed an Oreo. "I thought Charles was the big deal."

"No, well, sure – but you know Giana Gamble? The popstar? Their friend is her older brother. And he's really rich. Like, one of the richest people in LA. Isn't that nuts?"

"Is she the Disney channel singer?"

"No, not anymore, she left them three years ago when her contract ended. She's with a different label now. She's going to do a single with Taylor Swift." Valerie frowned. "I wonder why they're staying _here_?"

Her friend's voice came from the phone, "Are you sure it's him? William Darcy Gamble? He is so hot. Giana always tweets how much she loves her brother. You have to invite me over if she comes. But I heard she's filming in Montreal, so she probably won't."

Elena flipped a few lights off and got some plates and silverware out for dinner. So, the people staying at the cabin were even better off than she'd realized. Hopefully they'd take the sheet-purchasing in stride, then. And hey, if the rude friend had a famous sister maybe they could parley that into their marketing later.

Not now, while he was staying there, that would be rude. But if they did leave a decent Yelp review later…. Perhaps Charles would do so if Noa asked. Maybe he could casually name-drop his friend in there.

Or not. Either way, it was only moderately interesting to Elena. She was as interested in Hollywood as your average southern Californian, but the few times she'd actually met stars in LA, it had just been awkward. They were usually polite, but nobody wants to be fawned over while they fill their prescription at Walgreens or checkout at Sprouts. Or vacation at Bearclaw.

Elena took the two pizzas out of the oven, while Valerie and her friend continued to chat.

"Here he is," the friend said. "Ask your sister if it's this guy."

Valerie held up her phone with a Wikipedia page. A colorful, red-carpet shot filled the screen. The camera focused on Giana, a slender girl with soulful lips. Elena took the phone and peered at the tiny picture. Behind her was a tall man, his face almost cut off in this shot. He had black hair, deep-set eyes, hard, unsmiling mouth. Very upright. "Sure is."

"He's not a musician like his sister," Valerie said, "But he's still pretty hot."

Elena gave the phone back. "Not so much in person. He looks a lot older than this."

She didn't care if Valerie indulged crushes on random celebrities-who didn't?-but a specific crush on a man staying in one of their cabins was different.

Valerie had just finished her junior year of high school.

Their mom came in. "Alright, Noa just texted me goodnight and didn't say a word about the guests. What happened?"

Elena kicked off her shoes. "Does Noa still text you every night? She's a much better daughter than me."

"I know."

"I'm sorry I didn't call much this semester -"

"Twice, Elena. You called me twice. Every other time I called you. But I'm letting that go. I want to know what happened with Noa. Did she and the representative hit it off?"

Elena winced. "What good would that do?"

"Don't give me that, connections are not a bad thing. Maybe he could help her get off that stupid DACA list and apply for citizenship."

Elena forced her lips together over another bite. She'd explained to her mom many times that DACA, Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals, was _not_ a stupid program, and in fact made Noa as legal as she was likely to get. It prevented deportation for people brought to the United States as illegal immigrants when they were children, which Elena's parents had done. Noa's DACA number didn't allow her to get a green card or anything, but she could get a two-year work permit and provisional driver's license. Her first two years were almost up, and she was having trouble getting it renewed. If it didn't go through soon, the daycare would have to fire her or else start paying her under the table, which wasn't likely to happen.

Of course, if Trump was elected… DACA might be completely repealed. Everyone like Noa would instantly be "illegal" again, as if their whole identity evaporated over night. It galled Elena that her mother, after years of chosen ignorance, was now on the brink of being correct.

Elena shrugged. "I think Noa was enjoying an end-of-the-week high. She was way more talkative than normal."

Her mom got a very arch look on her face. "Wouldn't it be amazing if he and Noa... I mean, I just want her to impress him so she can ask… but if they actually…"

"I doubt they _will actually_ anything, and it might not be smart for her to be telling random politicians her story."

Valerie stuck out her tongue to the phone. "I'm legal. Can I date him? Not the representative – I mean Giana's brother." Elena and Valerie had been born after their parents got to the United States, so they both had birth certificates and citizenship. Anchor babies, they were called.

Elena and her mom ignored Valerie's question.

"They're only here a few weeks," Elena reminded her mom. "And Charles' sister is already in a horrible mood. If they call the owner to complain or leave a bad note, Papa could lose the job."

"So? I'm not going to do anything embarrassing. I just think it would be nice if Noa got to spend some time with him. She's been out of high school for so many years. It gets harder. Speaking of which, what is happening with you and Carlos? I spoke to him last month."

Her mom leaned against the counter and helped herself to pizza adding, "You were late on your rent."

Elena ground her teeth. She'd gotten her current apartment because Carolos, the apartment manager, was her mom's cousin's son, or Elena's second cousin. "He shouldn't have called you at all. I was only a few days late."

"He was just checking in. He is a good boy. He asked about your father."

Carlos wasn't a boy, by an description. He was in his late-thirties, stupid as a bull, and just as stubborn. He'd broken up with his girlfriend a few months ago, and had been hinting to get Elena to go out with him. It didn't help to tell her mother he was kind of a jerk, her mother thought he was quite good enough for Elena. "Good for him," Elena said coldly. "Still not interested."

Her mother frowned. "Anyway, the Thurfield reservation included twice a week cleaning. That's four opportunities. And I've started offering daily text check-ins for unexpected needs. They signed up for that, too."

"Noa has to work in the mornings," Valerie put in. "I can help at the cabin."

Elena snorted. Rich, almost-celebrities were the only thing that would get Valerie to help clean.

"I just wish your father was better." Her mother sighed. "None of you should have to be doing this."

Elena sometimes resented that her mother didn't help their dad more than she did. She worked part-time at her sister's coffee shop, but the coffee shop barely scraped enough for one family, let alone two.

At the moment though, her mom had an airtight excuse not cleaning the cabins; she was taking care of their dad. He'd suffered a fall in the spring, and broken his ankle. It hadn't healed right, so he'd had to have surgery – rebreaking and adding pins. It cost a fortune, but Elena had worked out a long-term payment plan with the hospital. If her parents were very careful – even more than normal – they could keep it from going to collection.

In six weeks, her dad was supposed to be able to get around with crutches, or possibly a cane. Elena hoped to do a lot of the heavy-duty work while she was home, so that he'd be all caught up when he was back on his feet.

Elena rinsed her plate and loaded it in the dishwasher, along with the rest of the dishes in the sink. Whenever she was home, she seemed to fall straight back into the patterns of high school. From little things like being responsible for the dishes and cleaning to bigger things like organizing the schedules and bills.

Elena _knew_ her mom had gotten her act together over the last four years since Elena left. But somehow they both slid right back into the same patterns. She couldn't even blame her mom entirely, as Elena did have a tendency to criticize her mother's handling of family business.

During high school, when Elena's dad had had his first stroke, Elena had been needed. Now though, it didn't do her mom any favors to get overly dependent in the summer. She always hit a low point after Elena's visits, feeling depressed and oppressed.

The wet swishing of the dishwasher played over the news. Elena was already sick to death of election coverage and the stupid election was still five months away.

Even Valerie and her friend were talking about Trump getting the GOP nomination now that he'd won Indiana. Valerie barely passed US History last semester, but now everyone was an expert. Everyone with a twitter account.

Elena looked at the calendar on her phone. At least her dad's hip recovery would be done by the end of June. He'd still have three months to recover before the busier ski season.

She clicked on the Friday two weeks from today and made a new entry.

 _Thurfield Guests Checkout._

 _Good riddance._


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Saturday, Elena's mom woke her early. Elena was curled up in the bottom of the bunk bed-she'd forced Valerie to move to the top-and her suitcase lay half under the bed, almost fully packed.

She'd asked Valerie to empty out a drawer in her long dresser, but it hadn't happened yet.

Valerie's drum set took up one corner of the room, and a music stand with one missing leg was propped against it. A glockenspiel-or was it a xylophone?- took up the other corner. Valerie was in the high school band. She played in the percussion section in the spring and pit band in fall, during football season. Two years ago, she'd gotten to march in the Rose Parade, and she'd gotten serious about music. For about six months.

Now the instruments were covered with dust, dangling bras, and slightly worn, but not dirty-enough-to-wash, shirts.

"Elena," her mom said again. "I'm sorry, but that woman in Thurfield is texting me like crazy. They can't get the stove working, which makes no sense… And she says the hot water is spotty. Perhaps you could turn up the water heater? I _know_ it's not a gas problem. We had Terry go over all the cabins in April."

"Mm-hmm." Elena took it in slowly. "Right. Okay."

"I could call Noa."

"No, it's fine. It's Saturday. Let her sleep." Elena heaved herself upright. She was sore from scrubbing and her arms burned as she stretched them over her head and backwards. "Shoot. Did you say the oven?"

Had she finished putting the burner caps back on after Noa came? She thought so, but maybe not.

Elena pulled some real clothes on, and grabbed a sweatshirt. Soon she was parking up at the cabin again. A second car was in the garage, presumably Marta, their cook or housekeeper, had made it.

Elena knocked on the door. She could legally enter after giving them notice she was coming in, but that always felt a little weird to her.

She knocked again after a minute or two. On the other hand, if no one heard her...

But no, now the door was opening. It was Darcy, the rude friend who Valerie wanted to date.

"Good morning," Elena said. "I understand there's a problem with the stove?"

He pushed the door wider to let her in, hesitated, and walked away.

Wow. How about, good morning? Thanks for coming by before seven am? Caroline's in the kitchen?

Elena felt severely dismissed. What was wrong with that guy?

Usually the most awkward guests were those who weren't used to "help" and didn't know how to act or whether to tip them. They tended to be overly apologetic or else weirdly aggressive as if they had to assert their right to what they'd paid for.

Generally people like him-who came from money and were accustomed to maids and housekeepers-were perfectly comfortable.

Maybe he was a high-functioning autistic.

Or just a self-centered jerk.

Elena groaned in frustration when she realized, after examining the stove, that it was her fault it wasn't working. She'd set two of the caps in the nearby cupboard while she scrubbed the stovetop. Without them to direct the gas, the igniters didn't work. The other burners wouldn't work, either, because the oven had a safety feature that sensed excess gas usage.

Elena fitted the ceramic caps back in place and tested each of the six burners. "There we go, all set. I'm terribly sorry I forgot about those."

Caroline was wearing a short nightgown and a silky bathrobe. She had managed to make coffee (or perhaps Marta had done that), and a full pot sat on the counter.

Caroline's nose flared. "Well, if you'll try to remember any other things you forgot, I'd appreciate it. I don't feel like a working oven is too much to ask."

"It's not, of course," Elena said. "You said there was also a hot water problem?"

Caroline shrugged. "We finally saw the note about not using two showers at once. I don't want to be rude, but if you want to attract a good clientele, you have to fix that. I mean, I've lost track of the notes around here about what works and what doesn't. It's very unprofessional."

Elena's mouth thinned out. It wasn't that Caroline was entirely wrong, but Elena hated being chewed out. Especially about things she couldn't change.

It would be unprofessional to whine and give Caroline a sob story about her father, so Elena just said, "Absolutely, I do understand. I appreciate your feedback."

It sounded stupid as she said it, but in the hospitality business, "feedback" was almost a magic word. You could use it to reframe any type of horrible comments as if the customer was doing you a favor.

"Good. It's not that I don't understand a struggling family business can be difficult. I always try to buy local to support the economy. But, like, if the quality is terrible, that doesn't help anyone, you know? You have to meet us halfway."

Who was "us" in this scenario? People with money? Condescending people? Bad-tempered...

Elena took a deep breath. "Well, you have our number. Just text again if we can do anything to help. You've requested twice a week cleaning. That'll happen Monday and Thursday morning, unless you'd prefer a different time?"

Caroline was fine with that, and Elena almost thought she'd escaped when Charles caught her at the front door. He also still had pajamas on, and a sleepy smile and Elena had to admit he was really good-looking in a classic surfer way. She could see the appeal to Noa.

"Elena, thanks for coming by so early. Caroline kind of freaks out if she doesn't get a hot shower."

Elena still felt prickly and defensive but it was almost impossible not to respond to the genuine good-will he radiated. It was much easier to apologize to him. "The oven was completely my fault. I was in a rush yesterday, but I should have double-checked."

"No worries. We're doing fine. And hey, since you're up this early on a Saturday, would you like to come out on the lake with us? You and Noa? Not to babysit us, just to start the summer?"

"Oh. No, thank you. But I hope you have a great time. If you aim for the north-eastern edge of the lake, there's a great spot for picnicking."

"But how am I going to find that on my own? You ought to come with us. Locals always know the best spots."

"Except I've just told you where it is."

He grinned at her. "My sense of direction is terrible."

His friend's voice resonated from the dining room. "Mine's not. We're good."

Elena angrily sucked back the second polite refusal she'd been about to utter. "You know, I have a few things to do, but I'll text Noa and see if she's free."

"I appreciate it. Let me give you my number."

Elena handed him her phone and he typed it in. "I hope you both can come."

Elena gave him points for continuing to invite her, though Noa was clearly the motivating factor. Also points for not putting her on the spot by asking for Noa's number. Much classier to leave the ball in Noa's court.

If only his sister and his friend were as nice as him. If only he wasn't a state representative – Republican no less! She'd googled him last night.

Elena forwarded the number and the invitation to Noa as she drove away. Noa could make up her own mind about it.

Elena headed down to the lake. She could jog in what she had on, and she wasn't ready to go home yet.

There was a jogging path that ran through several neighborhoods and then along part of the eastern edge of the lake. The decomposed granite crunched under her shoes. Fat white ducks slept in semi-graceful lumps between the path and the water. Eucalyptus trees with white bark were interspersed with the jacaranda and their brilliant flowers. As Elena crushed the fallen purple blossoms beneath her shoes the smell was overwhelming. She did love this place. She would miss it if she ended up moving far away.

She had one more semester of school before she would graduate in December. Her part-time job as a personal trainer at a nearby gym helped her pay her way through. They'd offered to give her more hours when she graduated, but she was hoping to move into sports training once she had her advanced degree. She'd love to stay in LA near her friends, but she'd need to go wherever she found a job.

Elena was nearly to her turn around spot when Noa started texting.

 _Come with me on their boat? Please. It'll be weird if I go alone. We'll have fun!_

Elena replied, _You didn't deal with Caroline this morning. She doesn't want to see me. You go if you want._

 _You think it'll be really awkward?_ Noa sent a sad bat gif.

Elena groaned. _Yes. Yes, I do. Don't give me that._

 _Let's pretend we're back in high school and having a super awkward double date._

 _Let's not! What do you do when I'm not here and guys ask you out?_

 _I stay home._

Elena sighed. That was probably true. Noa was friendly and funny and great with kids, but shy. Maybe Elena _should_ go with Noa, just so she could start her summer with a bang and make their mom relax, but…

 _No, I'm sorry. I'm happy to do something else with you and him this afternoon, but don't ask me to get on a boat for hours. Elena fished around and found a gif of a prisoner in striped uniform, holding the bars. We'll be trapped!_

Her reply came right away. _I'm sorry. You're totally right. I'll let him know._

Elena continued her jog, shaking off a slight cloud. Noa was a big girl. She could take care of herself.

Elena didn't get another text from Noa until nearly dinner time. Elena had been sorting through their storage space with her mom most of the day. Elena sometimes took in boxes to ask her dad about them. It usually went like this:

"What about this box?"

"Mmm." He looked up from the news. "Oh, that's okay. Those are more textbooks."

"Right. But can we get rid of them? Or some of them? They've been packed since we moved."

"No, I need those. Once I get those shelves up I'm going to put all the textbooks together so they're easy to find."

"What about this one?"

"Those are your mother's magazines."

"Can we get rid of them?"

"You have to ask her. Lo dudo." I doubt it. He went back to the TV.

Their one-car garage under the condo was packed with boxes. When her dad was mobile again, it would be really helpful if he could pull all the way up instead of walking from the extra parking lot.

Elena was depressed, in short, and eagerly checked Noa's message.

 _Guess what? I went boating after all. I had a fantastic time! Come meet us for dinner? We're going to Peterson's._

Elena leaned against a pile of boxes.

Wow, good for Noa, getting out of her comfort zone.

But did they really want Elena showing up, too? Maybe Charles, but not the other two.

Elena _had_ told Noa she was willing to be her wingman as long as it wasn't on a boat...

Another text popped up.

 _We want you to come! See?_

Noa texted a selfie of her and Charles with pouty, sad faces. It looked like he was the one holding the phone.

This was just so unlike Noa. It took her years to be this casual with people. And Charles was a state official – didn't he have a reputation to maintain? Not that he couldn't be friendly with Noa, but he couldn't have real intentions, so what was he doing? If Elena didn't feel confident of her read on his character, she'd think pretty badly of him.

Elena showed her dad the picture and he winced. "That man is too blonde. You should never trust a towhead who's reached adulthood. They're perpetual toddlers."

Elena laughed. "You just made that up."

She texted Noa:

 _Alright. Meet you there in half an hour. Order me something._

In the back of Noa's tilted selfie, she could see Caroline holding the jerk's hand. Were they together? She hadn't gotten that vibe, but it would make sense.

Maybe they would get their own table at Peterson's and Elena could just hang out with Charles and Noa.

She could hope.


	5. Chapter 5

Peterson's was only half a block from their aunt's coffee shop, but Elena didn't go to the restaurant often. It was right on the lake, with half the tables on a floating deck over the water. Outdoor columned heaters rippled with blue flame, and strings of colored LED lights crisscrossed overhead. It was a Saturday night in summer, so it was packed. Full summer tourist season was on.

Elena knew the hostess, she was one of Valerie's band friends, so she just waved hello and went out to the deck. Sadly, Charles and Noa were seated at a table with Darcy and Caroline. Even worse, it was a table for four. A chair had been snagged from another table, but it clearly didn't quite fit.

Elena ran a hand through her wet hair-she'd taken a quick shower after sweating all day in the garage-and pulled on a smile as she approached.

To her surprise, Darcy saw her and stood. Was he actually going to walk away because she was here? But no, he formally pulled her chair out, which was between his and Noa's, and pushed it in a little as she sat.

That was weird, right? Who did that?

He didn't say anything and she focused on exchanging pleasantries with Charles and Caroline.

Noa told her what a great time they'd had and even Caroline chimed in with a few positive remarks. She'd seen deer while they ate, and approved of the sparkling clarity of the lake.

Charles was full of fun and though most of his dimpled smiles were for Noa, he had plenty left for Elena.

Darcy didn't say anything. Just ate his food and passed Elena the salt and pepper when she asked for it.

Actually she hadn't asked, she'd merely looked around for them and opened her mouth, but he was already putting the salt and pepper by her plate. Probably to avoid having to hear her speak.

"Oh, sorry," Charles said, "I haven't really introduced you, have I? Darcy is my good friend and sometimes patron. Our families have been friends...I don't know, forever? And Caroline is close friends with his sister."

The famous sister that Valerie kept talking about. Elena nodded, feeling that was plenty of acknowledgement considering how much he didn't want her there.

"We often vacation at their place in Aspen," Charles added, "but I wanted to see if we could find a good spot closer to LA. Anything to avoid LAX, really."

"Are you thinking about buying a vacation home here?" Elena asked. "Or just renting?"

"If I find what I like, I might buy. It would be a good investment, Darcy tells me. And I love skiing. This would be great access in the winter."

"Elena's a great skier," Noa said proudly. "She used to compete."

Elena shrugged. "Noa is very good, too. We kinda grew up on the slopes out here."

"Yeah, we never could have afforded it, but our dad worked there. We got discount season passes, and outfitted ourselves with lost equipment. Oh, this last year one of my preschool parents gave me a winter pass as a Christmas present." Noa smiled happily, artlessly. "When we have a good snowpack, Big Bear is the best."

Elena stifled a groaned. Did Noa have to be so charmingly honest? Not that they should pretend to be something different than what they were, but... what next? Was she going to blurt out that she wasn't entirely legal, nor were their parents? At all?

This relationship was doomed. The difference in their relative situations was just too much. Charles had a serious career and was looking at housing investment. Noa had graduated high school, but had no college degree, no green card, and no potential to get one. Her parents were barely covering bills with the cabin management income, because they'd had to go into debt five years ago when the fire tore through their town. More debt, that is. Elena hadn't realized until high school how bad it was. She'd stopped competing then, when she realized how badly the $700 or $800 buy-in fees to the ski competitions destroyed their budget and how often her dad payed them with a credit card he'd obtained from a bank that offered credit to undocumented immigrants.

Noa had gone into legitimate debt to buy her little Honda when she finally got DACA approved, and to move out. Not that Elena grudged it to her. Noa had been anxious all the way through high school. She'd wanted to celebrate when DACA passed and she finally could work 'real' jobs.

Elena was broke too, of course. She still drove their dad's old truck. It usually got her to and from LA safely, though the check engine light had been intermittently glowing lately. Elena tried to put it aside. Thinking about money was depressing.

Charles asked Noa about her skiing preferences. Under their conversation, Darcy finally spoke to her. "Do you miss skiing?"

His voice startled her and she choked a little on the last bite of fish. It really wasn't any of his business how she felt about it. How inconsiderate to poke at a possible wound - what if she was heartbroken about it?

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. I'm hoping when I graduate I can move somewhere skiing is possible again."

"Are you in college? Where?"

Elena raised her eyebrows. "What is this, a job interview?" It wasn't so much the questions as his tone that irked her.

Caroline laughed. "Don't mind Darcy, he's always serious."

Charles pointed at his friend. "Yeah, believe it or not, this is him quite lighthearted. Carefree almost. Oh no, now I've embarrassed him."

Elena studied Darcy's face. If anything, he looked annoyed by his friends' words, not embarrassed. He still sat rigidly in his chair, barely touching the seatback, as if it would dirty his shirt. He might be a good-looking guy, but his attitude was such a turn-off it was hard to be sure.

Elena smiled, unexpectedly amused. If Charles could poke fun at him, she could too. She'd been letting his silence and his mood affect her, and she was done with that.

"I'm finishing a double major in athletic training and accounting."

There was a brief silence and Elena laughed, finally relaxing herself. "That is exactly the kind of silence I always get when people ask. Then there's the comments about how opposite those things are."

Darcy sipped his water, probably already bored. "Accounting is always a good decision."

"People say that, too. There's nothing much else to say. Unless you are an accountant...but the few I've met have even less to say about it."

"Do you enjoy accounting?" Darcy asked.

"Nobody enjoys accounting. It gets done, like root canals. I just want to know enough to handle my own finances, possibly have my own business."

"I've always assumed dentists enjoy root canals," he said quietly.

"I don't know what kind of masochistic dentists you've met, but I sincerely hope not. A root canal means things have gone wrong."

"But accounting doesn't mean something is wrong."

Elena tilted her head. "What about forensic accounting?" She glanced at Charles and Noa. Caroline watched with a frown. "See, I've put them in a daze. Or worse."

"What college?"

"University of California in Northridge. Oh, and I haven't even started talking about Northridge yet. It's _scintillating_."

Darcy might have smiled, but Caroline interrupted. "Are we ready to go? I finished my food half an hour ago."

"But we didn't hear about athletic training, yet," Charles protested. "That must be the interesting half, right?"

Elena smiled at him. "It is, that's the part I love. But I'm done eating, also, and I don't want to make Caroline wait."

There was an unpleasant little interlude about the check. Charles tried to insist on paying for their meals and Elena and Noa turned him down. Caroline snidely remarked that it would be Charles' money either way and Elena really wanted to trip her as they left the restaurant.

Darcy seemed to have retreated inside his own head again, and didn't seem to even hear the disagreement.

Caroline limped down the boardwalk. "My feet are so sore. I can't wait to get back and soak in the jacuzzi. Darcy? Charles?"

She definitely looked more at Darcy than at her brother and he just shrugged non-comitally.

Elena couldn't tell if they were a thing or not. This might be how Darcy would treat the love of his life or maybe he couldn't stand her. There was really no saying.

He radiated this dismissive boredom that really bugged Elena. Even asking about her degree felt like a last-ditch effort to relieve his own ennui, not any consideration for her or his friends. Why did he even come on vacation with them if he was just going to ignore or insult everything around him?

If he was dating Caroline, Elena would gladly forgive her all her rude remarks.

Elena would never date a guy like that. Not that she required somebody as perpetually sunny as Charles seemed to be. She didn't mind if a man showed that he was upset or tired or frustrated with work...but she wanted to _know_. Darcy was a blank wall. A disdainful blank wall. How did anyone warm up to that?

Charles was speaking quietly to Noa. The sky was dark, and a picturesque street lamp lit them up like a Hallmark card. Caroline leaned against Darcy and took his arm for support. They looked less like a Hallmark card.

"Goodnight all," Elena said. "I'm parked over there. Thanks for letting me join you. And I hope you enjoy the jacuzzi," she added to Caroline.

Maybe she could still pull a good review out of her.

"You know, Noa can bring me back to the cabin," Charles said. "You two take the car. I'll see you later."

Elena widened her eyes at Noa, who just smiled. They walked off down the boardwalk...as if this was normal. As if Noa was accustomed to spending the whole day with a guy she'd just met and then talking a night-time stroll with him. They weren't holding hands, but she wouldn't be surprised if they were by the end of the evening.

Well. Elena shook herself loose. She didn't need to expose Noa by making it obvious how unusual this was.

She headed for her car. Darcy and Caroline's was nearby, but they mutually ignored her, which suited her fine.

Elena slid into her truck and turned the key. The engine turned over and the truck started, but only long enough for her to see that darn warning light. Then it died.

 _Shoot._ She tried a few more times, but the starter just clicked.

Elena leaned back in her seat. It had been a long day, trying to help her parents step back from the brink of hoarding and then an uncomfortable dinner. She didn't want to deal with this.

Probably the battery was at fault, that had happened before.

She could call her mom to come help. Or maybe she would just wait for Noa and snag her when she was headed out. Hopefully a jump would do it.

But then Noa would feel awful that Elena had waited.

Elena could ask Darcy and Caroline for help before they pulled out, but frankly she would rather ask a stranger for a ride.

But if she did that, her dad would lecture her about safety.

Elena slapped the steering wheel in annoyance. She hated asking for help.

She got out and waved at Caroline and Darcy. Their headlights were on and she couldn't see their faces in the dark car. Shoot, she hoped they weren't making out or something. It was enough to make her feel ill.

The car pulled around and nosed into the empty spot opposite her. The headlights probably lit _her_ up like a cliché photograph now: poor college student in front of rusty truck.

Darcy was in the driver seat and his window was down.

"My truck died. Do you mind giving me a jump? I've got cables."

Darcy nodded and Elena turned away to pop the hood of her truck. She held the heavy hood with one hand, and awkwardly felt around for the stick to prop it up with her left hand.

It lifted out of her grasp.

"Does it die often?" Darcy held effortlessly held the hood while she secured the stick.

"It's my zombie truck. More dead than alive sometimes." Normally Elena would apologize for causing someone trouble with her own problems, but she was too annoyed that she had to get help from _him_. And it's not like he was brimming with consideration. He could have added, 'rough luck,' or 'it's no problem,' or 'don't worry about it.' But no, all he said was, "Ah," in that stiff, emotionless voice of his.

Elena stalked to the back of her car. "The cables are in my trunk, just a moment."

She rummaged through the random junk - grocery bags, old shoes, cleaning supplies - there they were.

She came back, unwinding the cables. "If you'll open your hood, I'll attach them. Then we just let your car run for a few minutes until mine starts."

"I have jumped a car before."

"Good for you. Here." She knew she was being rude as she thrust the ends at him, but she didn't care.

In fact, she felt a surge of pure glee when he couldn't even get the hood open.

"Exactly how many times have you jumped a car?" she asked wryly.

"This is Charles' car."

"It's unfortunate hoods are so individual, like fingerprints." She slid her hand under the edge of the locked hood, feeling left and right until she found the latch. This hood swung up on its own. Elena attached the hot and cold alligator clips to the purring engine. As she moved to her own car, she (wickedly, yes) let the clips touch for a second. A shower of gold sparks erupted and Darcy jumped back.

It was the most satisfying moment she'd had all night, Elena couldn't help a momentary grin. Finally, a genuine reaction from him.

Unfortunately, Caroline gave a faint scream from the passenger seat.

"My bad," Elena called to her.

Without a word, Darcy went back and revved his car.

#

Darcy sat in the driver's seat, more annoyed than he'd been in a very long time. Why was that? He watched as Elena leaned against her battered truck and pulled out her phone. She was lit up by their headlights, and he could hardly look away. That annoyed him, too.

Caroline squeezed his arm. "It's so nice of you to help her out."

He shrugged. He didn't want to be in the car with Caroline any more, but he'd been so unexpectedly emotional, he'd retreated here without thinking.

He'd been irritated when Elena twitted him about not knowing how to open a car-he actually loved cars and enjoyed working on his own two sports cars when he had time to take them to the track. He didn't presume to know as much as the BMW technicians who serviced them every year... but he was not a novice. He'd bruised his wrist on the boat today, and he'd had trouble twisting his fingers to the catch.

He didn't tell Elena any of that, of course. Boasting only indicated weakness, and the rest was just whining. A person of true skill didn't need to prove their expertise. But...he was surprisingly, childishly annoyed to have her think him incompetent.

He shouldn't care what she thought. What was the matter with him?

Darcy habitually refused to let himself be dishonest in his thoughts, and the habit would not be broken now.

He'd been aware of Elena all during dinner, despite how seldom she'd looked at him, and he'd felt a growing desire to _make_ her look at him. It wasn't just attraction, though she was pretty. He'd spent half the day with her sister, Noa, and hadn't felt any such thing. It was...interest.

Caroline squinted at Elena. "Noa is definitely the prettier of the two. I'm not surprised Charles got hooked."

"Neither am I."

"I know what you're thinking. She's all wrong for him. They have nothing in common. I think it'll blow itself out when we leave." Her voice was reassuring and she squeezed his arm again.

Darcy moved away slightly. He agreed with her, but he was so tired of her trying to move their relationship forward, he wanted to disagree just to be disagreeable.

Darcy had been perfectly clear that he appreciated Caroline's friendship and her company when she was his plus-one at events the last few years, but she'd decided-unless he was much mistaken-that this would be a good summer to get engaged.

He didn't even know why. She wasn't in love with him. He was certainly not in love with her. They had not slept together. They had not even dated, except for those political dinners and fundraisers they'd attended together. He considered those part of his career, and had looked on her as a business partner and friend.

She continued, "I still can't believe Charles invited Noa and her sister to eat with us without asking. I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault," Darcy said automatically.

"Of course not, but I know you feel the same way I do. I mean, they're sweet girls, but it's awkward to be forced to hang out with our maids."

Darcy's lips thinned. The intolerable thing was that he'd had almost the exact same thoughts, and now he had to listen to Caroline voice them.

"I don't feel that way at all," he said, which was now true. "I was thinking how lucky Charles is to make friends so easily. I've never had that knack."

She laughed. "Poor Darcy. But if you're thinking about tonight, don't feel bad. Elena's one of those girls who enjoy putting others off-balance. Can't you spot that?"

"She didn't give me that impression. She just doesn't seem to care what we think of her."

Elena waved to them, almost as if she could hear their voices, and circled to her seat to try the ignition on her zombie truck.

#

Elena wondered what Caroline was saying to Darcy now. Nothing good, Elena was sure. Not only did Caroline look down on them, now Elena was taking up her precious hot tub time with Darcy.

 _If_ Caroline could have prevailed on him to get in the hot tub. He probably looked on relaxation as an unnecessary evil.

Elena tried her car after five minutes. Then ten. Not a thing.

Finally, after a third try, she got out and came up to Caroline's window. After a moment, it reluctantly descended.

Darcy sat in the car as stiffly as he'd sat at dinner. As if even his friend's car wasn't good enough for him. Or his friend's sister.

Elena shook her head. "I'm calling it. It's not gonna work."

"We can drive you home," Darcy said. If there was a way to say that with more reluctant condescension, Elena would be amazed.

"No need. Noa is around somewhere, I'll text her. Goodnight."

"It can't be far out of our way."

Caroline was slumped in the passenger seat. "Her sister is _here_ , Darcy."

"Charles may-" he broke off. "You're right, probably best to text her."

"I know, that's what I just said." Elena nodded to Caroline and then disconnected both cars and slammed the hood shut.

There was a brief hesitation, and the car slid out and pulled away.

Elena sighed with relief. People didn't usually get under her skin, but that guy...

And she and Valerie had to clean their cabin for the next two weeks! If Darcy and the others were considerate, they would vacate on those mornings, but she didn't have any such expectation. And it wouldn't be fair or feasible to put the whole burden on her mom and Valerie.

No, Elena would have to go clean their house, probably with Darcy and Caroline looking on and criticizing.

And possibly with Charles and Noa flirting on the back deck.

Elena locked her car and headed back to the boardwalk to find Noa and crash her date. What a great sister she was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author note: Hi everybody, thanks for reading along! I've gotten several questions about undocumented or illegal immigrants in the United States (like Noa in this story, and their parents), so I wanted to answer those before I keep going. Feel free to skip ahead to the story if you want.**

 **Yes, their dad could go to the hospital for a broken bone and get service. Hospitals and emergency rooms are legally not allowed to turn anyone away because they can't pay or don't have ID. Regular doctors, clinics, and insurance companies can turn people away.**

 **Doctors, police, and teachers are NOT required to report illegal immigrants. They** ** _can_** **report them, but they don't have to. Whether people do report is largely based on their region of the country, their state laws, and their community attitude toward immigrants. At the moment, many Californians are feeling sympathetic to undocumented immigrants, perhaps mainly as a reaction to Trump. On the other hand, some Californians are becoming more hardline against them.**

 **Schools: In my research, I found that approximately 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from US high schools every year. During Obama's administration, legislation was passed called DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It applies to:**

 **» Young people (born on or after June 16, 1981) who came to the U.S. before the age of 16.**  
 **» Don't have lawful immigration status.**  
 **» Have lived continuously in the U.S. since June 15, 2007.**  
 **» You must be at least 15 years old**  
 **» Currently in school or a graduate of high school or GED recipient or honorably discharged military veteran.**  
 **» You must also have a clean criminal record and pass a background check.**

 **In my story, Noa is a 'dreamer' and got a DACA number while she was in high school. This would allow her to get a social security number, an permit that allows her to be employed, and a driver's license. Each has to be renewed every two years. President Trump has officially repealed DACA and it is "phasing out." Unless the US Congress comes up with a new legislation, they'll all be illegal again.**

 **How do their mom or dad work? In my story, it's because they already had family legally in California and came to join them. The family already here could help them get temporary work, or find an employer who was willing to pay them despite their status. They could (and in my story, they** ** _did_** **) get a tax ID number which allows them to pay taxes and get child tax credit. In 2012, California had about 3.1 million undocumented immigrants, and they payed 3.3 billion in taxes that year.**

 **ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As in, "ICE agents met him at the police station and took over his case." It is part of the Department for Homeland Security and is mainly the people responsible for deportation. Local law enforcement agencies (like police, etc.) are not required to report undocumented immigrants (in most states), but there has been a shift toward getting them involved in finding and deporting illegal aliens. Some cities specifically tell their officers NOT to assist ICE or question people's immigration status, these are sometimes called sanctuary cities.**

 **Okay – that's a ton of information, sorry for the overload. Let me know if you have any more questions and I'll try to find out!**

Valerie was ecstatic to go clean the cabin with Elena on Monday morning. So ecstatic that Elena got nervous. She nearly left Valerie at home, but when she thought of spending two and half hours cleaning in front of Charles and Caroline and Darcy... she couldn't do it. She'd split the time with Valerie. She gave her bubbly sister a severe warning not to ask any questions of them (particularly about Giana), and not to talk more than two minutes if they started a conversation.

"Are you gonna bring a timer?" Valerie asked sarcastically.

"I might! Really Valerie, they came here for privacy and relaxation. If we make them feel invaded, they might leave early. Or leave an awful review, you know?"

"Who's invading? I know how to be chill."

Elena was extremely glad when they got to the cabin and found both cars were gone. They'd gone out after all, thank God! If Elena and Valerie were fast, maybe they could be done and gone before anybody got back.

She set the straightforward tasks to Valerie - stripping sheets, dusting, and sinks. Elena started on vacuuming and mopping. You had to move people's belongings around to clean the floors, and it was a little bit of a balance to make the room feel unviolated and yet clean.

She started with Darcy's room-she wanted it done long before he got back. Darcy's room looked completely unlived in, except that the bedspread was just pulled up to the headboard, not tucked around the pillows the way Elena's mom liked to do it.

She didn't even see his suitcase until she opened the closet to vacuum inside it. His clothes were all hung up, and the suitcase put on the upper shelf.

For heaven's sake, live a little, dude. There was a cap next to the suitcase, and she rolled her eyes. Make America Great Again. Of course, he was a Trump supporter. She'd googled him last night and discovered that only half the population looked at him as Giana Gamble's hot older brother. To the other half, he was the junior partner of Gamble Industries and the funding member of several of the most influential political action committees in D.C. He used to live entirely in Washington, but now split his time with California, since his sister had some sort of breakdown last year. He was loved and hated by different groups of Republicans, but everybody agreed he was shaping up to be one of the "big" influencers. Elena figured that meant he had a lot of arrogant opinions and the money to back it up.

The attached bathroom was also very clean. Elena gave it a once over, but you couldn't really tell the difference.

It was like Darcy to have taken the first master bedroom and bathroom, leaving his friends to choose from the single bedrooms or less-convenient downstairs bedrooms. She tried not to think of his comments about her and Noa, but she couldn't help replaying it a couple times while she cleaned his room. Racist.

She planned to leave Charles' room for the end. He was such a relaxed guy, he would probably just sit and chat with her if he came back too soon, putting everyone at ease. He'd been very gentlemanly about Elena's car problem. And instead of ending the date with Noa, he'd quite naturally included Elena, keeping them both laughing for hours at the coffee shop. He'd obviously wanted to spend time with Noa, but he'd shifted gears so fast, Elena soon felt like he wanted nothing more than to befriend them both.

Noa really liked him. She'd sat at church with her family the day before, and was as friendly and attentive as usual, but Elena had seen a distant smile cross her face several times during the sermon, and was pretty sure she was thinking of Charles.

If only he was something normal, like a teacher or a mechanic. If only he didn't have a status-driven career. Elena didn't blame Noa, though. He was funny and polite, he was good-looking, and he didn't hide how much he liked Noa. It was a heady combination. If he looked at Elena that way, she'd probably be lost, too.

Maybe.

Valerie came in with sheets. "This is where Giana's brother sleeps? How cool!"

"He's kind of a jerk. Toss me that pillow case."

"Too bad. Giana is amazing. And her twitter feed is hysterical. I wish she would come back to Los Angeles. Kitty says she's going to be in a movie. We could sign up to be extras and drive to LA for the day to be in it! I'm so jealous you get to live in LA."

"You know it's not all that amazing, right? Getting a job in Hollywood is next to impossible."

"I know, but maybe we would, if we were extras. Giana's in Montreal right now anyway. The paparazzi were getting crazy aggressive last year and she couldn't deal with it. She almost got trampled or something at LAX. She said she wasn't going to live in LA again for good, but she stays with her brother there sometimes."

They worked together to fit the tight new sheet over the mattress. "Does she have a boyfriend?" Elena asked. "Caroline said something about Darcy's sister and her friends joining them."

"She did?" Valerie squealed. "Coming here! Ohmygosh! Oh. My. Gosh."

"Stop it. I'm probably wrong, I don't know. If she comes, we're going to treat her exactly as we would anyone else."

Valerie bounced up and down on her toes. "I know, but can you imagine? Giana having a house party here at our cabin? Kitty will die!"

"You will die, if you embarrass me. Go get the next set of sheets."

"This is so exciting."

Elena worked faster. She dreaded the inevitable meeting of a euphoric and curious Valerie and any of the guests here. Charles because he didn't deserve it, and the other two because... well, why? Because she had a silly sister? That was nothing to be ashamed of. And she wasn't ashamed of cleaning either. It was hard work, and she was helping her parents. It was laudable, darn it.

So why did Caroline and Darcy bring out this defensiveness in her?

They thought they were better than her, but she shouldn't care what they thought.

Elena wasn't even surprised when she heard the door open ten minutes later. Of course they were home. Maybe God wanted to give her time to learn humility.

Elena was in Caroline's room now, next to Darcy's, and she quickly finished up and rolled the vacuum into the hall.

She heard Valerie's voice in the living room, and went to investigate.

"I'm Valerie Benitez. My parents run this cabin." Valerie stuck out her hand and Darcy reluctantly shook. He was alone.

"Yes. I assumed so."

"I would never in the world bother you," Valerie said, falsely, "but I just want to let you know that if Giana wants to visit, we would be totally low-key about it. I am totally her biggest fan, though. If she didn't mind signing my lithograph-"

"Valerie," Elena said sharply. "I need you to finish in the kitchen and then sweep the leaves off the deck."

"I am! I mean, I will! I'm allowed to introduce myself to the guests. I didn't even take two minutes." She gave a little wave to Darcy-was it supposed to be coy?-and danced off to the kitchen.

Elena was torn between the instinct to apologize and the urge to defend.

"Did you give her a two-minute warning?" Darcy asked. He could have smiled and made it a joke between them, letting her off the hook, but he didn't. Probably he faulted her for letting Valerie speak at all, which immediately decided Elena's response.

"She's in high school. I'm sure she's not the only teenage girl to obsess about your sister."

"True," he said coldly. "Don't let me keep you."

Elena spun around and went back to cleaning. Forget him. She would let Valerie talk to him all morning if she wanted. He deserved it.

Elena did indeed hear their voices again ten minutes later, and she didn't intervene. After all, he was just visiting with his friends. Charles was paying for the cabin.

When she was done, Elena went to collect Valerie.

Valerie was ostensibly dusting, she had a rag in her hand and she was rubbing the big flat screen TV, but the window sills were dusty and untouched.

Valerie was talking. "I loved the scene where she dumped coke on the rich chick. Her expression was just...but that's what everyone loves about Giana, right? In every song, every video, we can always see who she really is. She's always true to herself!"

Elena rolled her eyes.

Darcy sat on one of the two stools at the bar in the living room and worked on his laptop. He ignored Valerie. Why didn't he just go to his room?

He had a bottle next to him. She was going to judge him for drinking clear liquor before eleven, but then she saw that it was just soda water. Did this guy do anything fun?

"It's time to go," Elena said to her sister. "You didn't finish yet?" She grabbed the rag from Valerie and began swiping windows and side tables.

Darcy looked up from his laptop.

Valerie trailed along after her. "Have you seen that music video? Giana's first big hit?"

"Sure, I have."

"Doesn't she seem so awesome? So smart and kick-ass?"

"Valerie."

"You know what I mean."

Darcy looked annoyed, as always, but he also seemed to be waiting for her answer. She accidentally made eye contact and felt obligated to close Valerie's conversation.

"I think the best actors and musicians seem transparent, but aren't. The ones who are really that vulnerable-I think Hollywood chews them up and spits them out. So, I hope she's not like that. Either way, we don't know her at all."

The glare from the windows reflected a scattering of crumbs on the polished bar. Elena went to wipe it, and Darcy lifted his computer.

He glanced at Valerie and back at Elena. "Do you have any more sisters?"

"No. Just the three of us."

He didn't say, "Good," or "Thank God," but it rang in the air anyway. Valerie laughed, though what on Earth she thought was funny, Elena couldn't guess.

"We'll be back at the same time on Thursday," Elena said. Hopefully he would stay gone longer if he knew.

She slammed the door a bit as they left.

Valerie mimicked his deep, serious voice. "Do you have any more sisters?" She laughed again. "He cracks me up."

"He was insulting us. You shouldn't laugh."

"Insulting me, maybe. I don't care. It was funny to watch you get all huffy. He totally woke up when you came in the room. Maybe he likes you."

"Eugh."

They climbed in her pickup truck—a new battery had temporarily solved the problem—and Valerie shouted over the initial roar of the engine, "Why not? He's hot."

"He is so much older than you, that's almost gross. And he doesn't like me. Except perhaps to insult."

"Well, you said he stayed to jump your car on Saturday."

Elena maneuvered her big truck carefully down the narrow mountain road. "He could hardly refuse after I waved him down. And then he just sat in the car with Caroline. No, if anything, he's dating her."

Valerie grinned. "Wait, here's the best part. He asked if you had a boyfriend!"

"What?"

"I was saying how I heard his sister isn't dating right now. And how I think that's so smart of her, at her age. A boyfriend would just slow her down. And he totally asked if any of us had boyfriends."

"That's very different than asking about me. He was probably trying to change the subject. In fact, he might've been checking up on Noa. How dare he assume that she's in a relationship? It's none of his business. Even if Charles is his friend."

"Well, I told him Noa hadn't dated since stupid Ryan, that you were too cheap to date, and that I decided to wait till I'd made it as a musician."

"I'm too cheap? Excuse me?"

"You know. You're always worried about debt and income and wasting money."

"That's not why I haven't been dating."

"Isn't it? I thought you didn't want to waste money on buying nicer clothes, and eating out, and gas and...I don't know! Whatever you think it costs to date."

"I haven't dated because... never mind. None of your business."

"You've said that a lot today."

"Maybe because you need to hear it," Elena snapped.

She was annoyed, though she wasn't sure what bothered her the most. Valerie, or Darcy.


	7. Chapter 7

Thursday morning. All three guests were home, plus their cook, Marta. Darcy was situated at the bar again, with his ever-present laptop. When he looked across at Elena, she couldn't help the exasperation in her face. She'd _told_ him when they were coming, couldn't she depend on him to arrogantly stay away? Was that too much to ask?

He looked confused and turned back to his computer.

Caroline sat cross-legged on the couch with her phone and a tablet. Charles seemed to be at loose ends, drifting around the house.

While Elena swept the back deck (Valerie had not gotten it done on Monday), he leaned against the rail and chatted with her. His blond hair shone in the sun. He would look more at home on a beach than he did here in the mountains, she decided. She couldn't picture him in a suit in the capital building either.

He'd already ascertained that Noa had to work every morning and three afternoons a week. As strange as it was, Elena was starting to think that he really liked her sister. Possibly enough to maintain a long-distance relationship. It was incredible, but if so – well, Elena would be ecstatic for her sister. If Charles grew serious, he could change Noa's life.

Elena wouldn't say anything like that to Noa or her mom, however. It was still unlikely to the point of fairy tale.

Charles was happy to talk to Elena as a substitute for Noa. And frankly, with only his sister and his surly friend to compete with, Elena was not surprised.

"I loved college, but I had to try _all_ the majors," Charles answered her last question humorously. "I probably never would have graduated if Darcy hadn't helped me make up my mind."

"Did he?"

"Oh yes. I'd done two years of marketing, then I tried finance - hated that, then there was…" he laughed deprecatingly and ticked them off on his fingers. "Music theory. Management. Spanish. And back to marketing. You can tell I'm a man of decision."

"So, when did you move to political science? Or whatever you finally majored in?"

"Darcy settled me, really. He convinced me to work at his father's thinktank one summer - I was something less than an intern, believe it or not - but I finally saw what kind of job I could have. I know I seem like a frivolous guy, but I actually do have goals. I'm not so interested in changing the nation, but I do think I could help make California better – schools, jobs, infrastructure. Anyway, I went back for one more semester, took eight classes and graduated. Darcy was right – it didn't really matter what I majored in. I worked for his PAC a little longer while I got my masters degree."

"Wow. That's fast. You must be really smart."

He gave a pseudo-cocky grin. "Well, I don't always do things perfectly, but I do them fast. If I decide to do something, I do it the next day." He laughed. "Particularly if I waste six years first."

Elena laughed, too. She swept the next pile of leaves to the edge of the balcony and brushed it under the railing. The dust, pine needles, and twigs swirled down like confetti to the hill far below.

The sliding glass door squeaked open behind her and Darcy came out to join them.

"This guy though," Charles said, "doesn't have any trouble making up his mind. His goals are much bigger than mine."

Elena began clearing the next quarter of the deck methodically. "Oh? Are you running for office, also?"

"No," Darcy said. "Maybe someday. I'm not blessed with the happy manners that make Charles such a perfect candidate."

Elena swept under the glass table. "Oh, so you're happy to be the puppet-master?" She grinned at Charles to show she was only teasing.

Charles feigned a dagger to the chest. "Ouch. At least he's the best at it."

"I wouldn't characterize my work like that," Darcy said.

Charles shrugged. "She's not too far off. I wouldn't have been able to afford the support your GRO PAC supplied."

"GRO PAC?"

Darcy explained, "It's an acronym. Grassroots Republican Organization. Pac stands for—"

Elena finished, "Political action committee, I know. You realize it sounds like "Grope act?"

Darcy opened his mouth and shut it again and even Charles looked stunned. "Darn. I hope you're the only who thinks of that."

"I guess most people don't know the names of PACs anyway," Elena let Charles off the hook. "They're not very sensational news, though as far as I understand it, they control everything."

Darcy smiled unexpectedly. "Almost as scintillating as accounting in Northridge."

She glanced sharply at him. Was he actually displaying a sense of humor about himself?

"My sister tells me you have a house near there, in Pacific Palisades," Elena offered. "Do you like it?" If he was willing to unbend at all, Elena would meet him halfway. Only for Charles' sake-

Never mind. Darcy's face shut like a door and his chin retreated into his neck. She should've known he wouldn't lighten up. Stupid her for trying to meet him halfway.

Charles jumped in. "He's trying to keep his personal life somewhat private right now."

"Sure." Elena was annoyed. "I wish most people supporting Trump felt that way."

Darcy stiffened up even more. Charles grimaced. "We're still in shock the nomination is going to him. Even as Republicans… well, it's not ideal."

Except she'd seen that cap in Darcy's room. Whatever. "Let's not talk about Trump," Elena begged. "I can't get away from it in LA."

Charles winked. "But you're with two politicians! We have to stay in touch with our base."

Elena snorted, "No offense, but I'm not your base. Besides, I get an earful of politics at UC Northridge. If you feel the need to explain your platform, please hold it in til you see Noa again."

Darcy twitched his shoulders. "You don't care for politics?"

"I tried to care for politics, but he was, like, this major jerk. Dumped me on our first date. Slashed my tires. Called me names."

Darcy's brow furrowed and Elena laughed. "It's a metaphor."

She swept another pile off the deck and a plume of dust twirled away below them

He rolled his eyes. "I got that. It's a shame that your generation-"

"If you complete that sentence with something about millenials, I _will_ disconnect your water heater."

"Are you excited to vote for the first woman president?" Darcy asked.

"Yes, I am," Elena said. "But if I agreed with her about more than immigration and jobs, I might be more excited. It's galling to admit, but I'd actually considered voting Republican before Trump swept in. That's been a slap in the face. My only consolation is that I live in California," Elena waved her hands at the trees and mountains. "so my vote wouldn't have mattered anyway."

Charles pursed his lips in a soundless whistle. At the same time, Darcy said, "Wouldn't have mattered?"

Charles shook his head. "Now you've done it."

Elena picked up the broom. "I'm done out here anyway. You'll have to save your soundbite on civil liberties."

Darcy moved away from the sliding door to let her go by, but he couldn't let the conversation go. "You don't seem surprised that I'm Republican. Most Angelenos assume the opposite about Giana Gamble's brother."

"Because of the Hollywood connection," Charles chimed in.

"Huh. Have they met you, these people? You're obviously..." Elena gestured up and down. Even if she hadn't googled Darcy and seen his Trump hat, she'd know. His stiff bearing, his clothes, even his haircut..."You could be Paul Ryan's son. It's hardly surprising."

Charles burst out laughing. He bent over and put his hands on his knees.

Darcy looked confused again, then annoyed. Elena shrugged. "You asked."

She left them on the deck, glad that at least Charles had a sense of humor. Really, he deserved better friends.

She and Valerie cleaned uninterrupted for the next hour, though Valerie tried several times to strike up a conversation with Caroline about Giana. Elena was annoyed, but from what she heard, Caroline was up to the task of shutting Valerie down. Plus, she was on the phone a lot, and even Valerie wasn't rude enough to interrupt her calls.

When Elena got to the dusting again, Darcy was back in his place by the bar. His laptop was open, but he held his phone in his hand. Caroline perched on the stool next to him, reading over his shoulder. "Oh, Giana _can_ come! On Monday? Fantastic. Please text her that she'll have a great time. Oh, and ask her if she prefers more space or fewer stairs so I know which room to make up for her. Is she bringing anyone?"

Darcy mostly replied with grunts to her suggestions, but to the last he said, "Yes. She wants to know if Fitz can come."

"Of course. We have plenty of beds. As long as we don't shower at the same time, we'll be fine." She threw a significant look at Elena.

Elena was embarrassed to be caught watching their little interplay, and applied herself again to finishing up.

Caroline stretched. "I feel so lethargic. Let's go for a hike."

Perhaps because Darcy was still texting his sister, he completely ignored her.

"What do you say to a hike?" she tried again. Elena could practically hear Caroline's teeth grind. She was surprised when Caroline turned to her. "Elena, would you care to show us where to hike out here? Show me which paths are worth taking and don't fizzle out after a few feet?"

Elena was caught off-guard by this. Was Caroline trying to goad Darcy into coming? How did she figure Elena would help?

But putting all that aside, was this Elena's chance to finally make Caroline appreciate this location? She would _not_ give up on that positive review; for her dad's sake.

"Sure. Why not?" Elena answered.

Darcy looked up from his phone to her, and then to Caroline. "Sorry. What did I miss?"

"We're going hiking," Caroline said. Her smile was forced. "Do you want to come?"

"You are?" He looked as if a yes was coming, but then that would have been the human response, Elena thought harshly. He shook his head. "No, I've got work to do."

Caroline slid her hand down his arm. "Come on, you need exercise, too."

"I jogged this morning."

"It's refreshing."

His mouth showed annoyance but Caroline didn't seem to realize what was coming. Elena was shamelessly eavesdropping now. "I'd just be in the way," Darcy said flatly. "You can talk to Elena without me. If you only want me to admire your hiking outfit, I can see you better from the window." He thrust his chin toward the wide bay windows that offered a view down the hillside.

It was bitingly rude, and more than a bit demeaning. Elena instinctively sided with Caroline. Sure, Caroline was kinda ignoring his 'not-interested' cues, but that was no excuse to insult her so bluntly.

To Elena's surprise, Caroline chuckled and slapped his arm. "You're so bad. Isn't he awful, Elena? How should I punish him?"

She could start by not flirting with him when he was being a jerk.

"Laugh at him," Elena said. "Men hate that."

"Doesn't everyone?" Darcy commented.

"No. Only conceited people can't bear to be laughed at."

"So all men are conceited?"

"Well. Yes."

Valerie came into the living room and Elena latched onto her with relief. Elena was on the verge of having a full-on argument with a guest and that was bad policy. Elena wanted to give Caroline a sharp smack and tell her to move on to a guy worthy of her, which honestly wasn't setting the bar too high.

"I'd actually better get going," Elena said to Caroline. "The east path by the lower door is the best walk. Just wear pants and watch out for stinging nettles."

Elena nearly shoved Valerie out the door. Why couldn't she just ignore the people in this cabin? She kept getting sucked into their little drama and it was not okay.

No one would blame Elena more than herself if she drove off paying customers. Or ruined Noa's (tiny) chance with Charles.

#

When the door shut behind Elena and her younger sister, Darcy turned back to his computer, frustrated. He had not gotten as much accomplished as he meant to, seemingly he was unable to ignore Elena's presence in the house, and worse, he had been quite rude to Caroline.

He was beginning to feel that this vacation with the Bingleys had been a complete mistake from beginning to end. He brought out the worst in Caroline-her entitlement, vanity, and insecurity-and now he knew it was mutual. She brought ought his impatience, arrogance, and bad temper.

But really, he had made it clear. What did she expect? He should not have come here. He'd thought the invitation was mainly from Charles, but he'd realized sometime during the drive that it had been Caroline.

He would stay for the next few days, so that Gigi could come visit, but if Charles extended his stay, Darcy would not.

Caroline perched on a bar stool next to him. "Admit it, you almost agreed to hike when Elena was going. Do you and Charles have such similar taste?" She smiled archly.

"Maybe we do," Darcy said. And perhaps expressing interest in another woman would be enough to disinterest Caroline.

Her eyes widened. "I was joking. I didn't expect you to agree. Seriously. _Elena_?"

"I like her eyes."

Caroline's armor was up now. "Can I quote you on that? Your mother will be thrilled to hear you've met The One."

"Yes, admiring one facial feature clearly indicates I'll be proposing."

"It's more than I've heard you do for anyone else." The silent corollary hung in the air, "except for me."

Unfortunately, he had paid more compliments to Caroline than anyone else except his sister. How much emphasis had she placed on that? Too much.

Caroline probed. "Noa is beautiful and sweet, but I think even the politics in Sacramento would eat her alive. You think Elena could handle D.C.?"

"I have no intention of finding out," Darcy admitted. "But I'd love to see her try."

Caroline laughed, brittle and angry. "You're acting strange this week. Mid-life crisis coming on?"

Darcy maintained silence. What was it that made one woman's laugh grate on the nerves, while another woman's laugh made him want to kiss her neck? And it wasn't just that Caroline was angry right now. Her laugh never caught and distracted him the way Elena's did.

That was probably a bad sign. Perhaps he _was_ having some sort of crisis. Not a mid-life breakdown, he was only thirty-five, but an identity crisis. What else would explain his inexplicable attraction to a completely unsuitable girl? She was smart, sure; funny, and enjoyable to bait...

Darcy cut off his thoughts when Caroline sniffed and walked away. He'd only allowed himself to talk about Elena to give Caroline a hint. Now he would put her aside, or risk looking like a real idiot.


	8. Chapter 8

Valerie complained about being bruised by Elena's "freakish man hands," when they got out of the house. Elena ignored her. "I need coffee. You want coffee?"

"Wow, are you offering to pay?"

"Yes. I'm not _cheap_."

"Yes, you are. Great. Let's get coffee."

Their aunt's coffee shop, _The Long Straw_ , used to be an IHOP. It still had the steep, pointy roof, though it had been repainted brown with pink trim. The McBroom fire had gotten all the way to the trees behind the small parking lot. As Elena walked in, she could still spot scorch marks on the blacktop, and the heat-curled tiles on the roof.

Today was the hottest day they'd had yet, almost a hundred degrees. The sun beat down so fiercely even a short walk made her feel sunburned and sweaty. Elena so hoped there wasn't another bad fire in the area this year.

Valerie moaned. "It's going to be such a rotten summer. You could've let me stay in the truck."

"I can't let it idle that long."

They went in the back door instead of walking around to the main entrance.

Their aunt was flipping two burgers in the kitchen. She'd kept two of the big stovetop ovens from the IHOP days, and she still offered a small menu along with the coffee choices.

Valerie and Elena waved and went through to the dining area. Only three tables were occupied. One side of the front room had been cleared of tables and filled with a long, rough-hewn bar and mismatched stools.

Elena and Valerie sat at the bar, along with one other customer.

He was young and Elena didn't recognize him. He had a phone in his hand and a nice camera with a big lens around his neck.

Their cousin, Mireya, was working. She brought the guy a burger, fries, and large cup of ice water, then came over to Elena and Valerie.

She waved aside their orders. "Valerie, you need a real summer job, right? The school district is hiring for the summer. Cleaning and organizing and shredding textbooks and stuff. You should apply this week."

"No way."

"What? I thought you wanted a job?"

"I'm cleaning houses this summer," Valerie said self-righteously. "At least for the next week, I am. Giana Gamble is going to stay at Thurfield. Can you _believe_ it?"

"Are you sure?" Mireya said skeptically.

Elena glared at Valerie. "How do you even know that? You were supposed to be cleaning the extra bathroom."

"So? Caroline wasn't being that quiet. I wasn't even eavesdropping."

"It's-"

"None of my business," Valerie finished. "You are so boring. And I am going to meet Giana!"

Mireya rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I bother. I miss you, Elena." She left, hopefully to get their coffee. Mireya was a year older than Elena and they were good friends, though not as close as they'd been before Elena went to college. Mireya had a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son. Her boyfriend was in and out of the picture, currently out.

"You could have said thanks, at least," Elena chided her sister. "You could even think about taking the job and _actually_ making money."

"I will. I mean, I want to—but it's so _stupid_ to work all day and make, like, fifty bucks by the end of the week."

"Stupid like mom? And Mireya? And Tia?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "I know you want me to say no. Maybe that's all _they_ can do, but I think I can do better than work minimum wage for my aunt. Or the school."

The nearby guy caught Elena's eye and smiled. "Is this your aunt's place? The burger is great."

"They always are," Elena agreed. "She gets a cow each season, from a local farmer."

He widened his eyes. "Organic and green? I love this lady already."

He was a handsome guy. His face was a little on the thin side, with amazing cheek bones, a fantastic tan, and curly, black hair.

"Are you visiting for the weekend?" Valerie asked. She sat up a little straighter, fixed a bra strap, and tilted her head.

"That's right. I assume you're a local?" He sent a quick wink to Elena, as if to acknowledge Valerie's suddenly flirty demeanor and to reassure her not to worry.

"I am. Are you a photographer? I know all the best places for nature photography. A lot of people from LA come here for that."

Elena squinted. "Do they though?"

He laughed. "Well, I did bring my big camera. But I missed sunrise because I hate to get up early and from what my instructor says, mid-day light is useless. I guess I have to wait for sunset."

"Your instructor?" Elena asked.

It seemed he was a college student taking a summer photography elective. He was clever and funny, and they chatted until Mireya finally appeared with their drinks.

He would have left at that point, but Valerie asked him to stay. He looked at Elena, a question in his eyes. She appreciated his consideration in not forcing his presence on them any longer, but as it happened, she didn't at all mind hanging out a bit more. He was fun, easy-going, and darn cute.

"Stay," Elena agreed. "It's so hot out anyway, if you just sit in your car and wait for sunset we'll probably find your body in the morning."

"Would you like to find my body in the morning?" He spoke with a sultry voice but with a joke in his eyes, and Elena laughed.

"Sorry, it was too good a set up," he said. "And too pretty a girl."

Elena rolled her eyes. She drank her coffee while she and Valerie and Wick ("like John Wick, you know?") talked about everything from LA traffic to motor boats.

"Elena hates boats," Valerie said.

Elena nodded. "Floating cages of boredom. Or worse."

He held Elena's gaze with a half-smile. "Clearly she hasn't gone boating with the right person. If it was boring, he wasn't doing it right."

Elena laughed again. She wasn't sure how genuine he was, and he obviously didn't take himself too seriously, but those eyes made her forget her high school sister was sitting right there.

Even better, he immediately pivoted the conversation back to general ground for Valerie, not making it awkward. Elena found herself talking about her last semester of college and Northridge, and even that didn't kill the conversation.

And when he said, "You know, I'm only half an hour away in Pasadena. We should hang out sometime," Elena responded enthusiastically.

Maybe it was the lingering effect of her interaction with Darcy, but Wick seemed like one of the most polite guys she'd met in a long time. Definitely the easiest to get along with.

He was maybe not as sweet as Charles, but Elena wasn't into sweet like Noa was.

Even better, Wick actually seemed into _her_.

Enough so that Valerie lost interest in the conversation and disappeared into her phone.

Enough so that when Elena got up to go, and Wick asked for her number, she grinned and said, "You beat me to it."

She and Valerie headed back out into the dry, baking heat and Valerie sniffed. "You are _so_ lucky. That guy is smoking hot."

"I know, right?" Elena glanced back to make sure the door was shut. She didn't often have this kind of conversation with Valerie-or with anyone—but… Maybe her last semester of school wouldn't be all drudgery after all.

"He looks sort of familiar," Valerie said. "But it must be because he looks like an actor."


	9. Chapter 9

That evening, around seven thirty, Elena got a text from Wick. She was curled up on the end of the couch reading. Her parents were watching the news again.

 _I'm waiting for a sunset shot and melting into the ground. Want to meet me for ice cream in an hour? Where's good?_

She recommended a place.

Valerie looked over. "You're grinning so hard. He just texted you right?"

"We're going for ice cream."

"Can I come?"

"No. It's like a date. I think."

"You don't know for sure. Just bring me. If it's a date, I'll disappear somewhere. If it's not, there's no harm in my being there."

Her parents weighed in on Valerie's behalf. Grudgingly, Elena texted Wick again.

 _Okay if my sister comes? Babysitting duty or something._

 _Sure. She's really the one I want to hang out with anyway. Score._

Elena laughed. "Okay, Val, you can come. Practice your disappearing act."

The sun had set but it was still quite light outside when they met up. The ice cream place was packed with high schoolers, tourists, and sticky little kids. When they'd gotten ice cream – they payed for their own – Elena gazed significantly from Valerie to a group of kids who'd greeted Valerie when they came in.

Valerie licked her spoon slowly, but then caved. "Oh, alright. Hey. Look. People I know," she said drearily. "Hurray." She was greeted with squeals and general happiness

Elena didn't suffer the least regret. "How tired are you?" she asked Wick. "Do you mind walking the boardwalk with our cones?"

"I'd love to." He licked his cone. "This whole town is like nostalgia on a stick. I can see why D-so many people come here."

His camera was in a bag now, and hung on his shoulder.

"Can I see your photos?" Elena asked.

"I don't know, can I see yours?" he teased.

Elena snorted.

He handed over the camera. "It's only a summer elective I'm taking, so I hope your expectations aren't high."

The photos were a little hard to appreciate, because the screen was so small, but they looked okay to Elena. Maybe nothing to make her jaw hit the floor, but interesting.

He'd alternated between landscape vistas and fine details. One particular photo, a shot of the half-scorched wooden sign that read, 'Meryton Dr.,' she recognized. Thurfield and Rose Cabin were on that road.

"This is a beautiful shot, with the lane in shadow and the greenery lit up. We could use it on our site," she explained. "I couldn't pay much more than ten dollars, but I'd love to have it."

"You should never admire right off the bat. It drives the price way up once the word 'love' comes into the picture." He grinned. "But since you're being so nice to me, I'll make this one free."

A dry breeze blew Elena's hair forward, and she tilted her face to keep it out of the ice cream. They chatted about different things, starting with classes and quickly moving on to parents, life, and thankfully, not politics. There was no need to search for another topic of conversation as it got dark. The boardwalk area, with its shops and candy stores and restaurants, was only half a mile long, so they walked down and back, and occasionally meandered into a shop. Wick was smart, gentlemanly, and kept her laughing.

In the rambling hat store near the end of the boardwalk, he insisted on getting her opinion. "I admit, I tried for a man-bun and failed miserably, but a hat I could manage. Maybe something like this?" A bowler was followed by a series of fedoras. Elena shook her head, but voted for a white Panama hat. She didn't say it, but it made him look like a telenovela model.

Elena pulled a brown newsboy cap on and raised her eyebrows. "Does it work?"

"Almost." He rifled through the hat selection and found a wine-colored one. He flicked off the first and tugged his pick on. "That... looks amazing."

He stood toe-to-toe with her, and as he was only an inch or two taller, nearly eye-to-eye.

Elena's stomach tightened, and she squashed a tiny instinct to step away. If he kissed her, well, it was a little fast, but she wanted to kiss _him_ , so...

"Elena!" Noa's voice startled her, but Elena turned with a smile.

It didn't falter at the sight of a glowing Noa with Charles, or even Darcy and Caroline trailing behind them. Elena was on too much of a high.

"What do you think?" Elena pulled the cap down a little. "I like it, even though I know it would look better on you. Want to split it with me?"

Noa laughed. "No. I'd probably lose it and then I'd feel terrible. Who's this?"

"Oh, sorry, this is Wick." Elena put her hand on his arm. "He..uh...he's a friend..." Her introduction fell apart as Darcy, who'd caught up to the group, glared at Wick. His normally stoic face went red and he took a step forward. His right hand clenched into a fist.

Elena instinctively stepped between them. "Um. What..."

Darcy checked himself. He glanced at her and then turned on Wick. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nothing to do with you," Wick said defensively. "Chill."

Darcy's eyes narrowed and again flicked to her and back to Wick. His other fist clenched.

Elena slid her hand down to take Wick's, furious at the contempt she'd seen in Darcy's look. "We're going. See you later, Noa.

Back on the boardwalk, they walked toward the ice cream parlor.

"Sorry about that," Wick said. "Darcy and I... have some history, obviously. He's a friend of yours?"

"No, not at all. Unless you count vacuuming his room and being insulted by him."

"But was that your sister?"

"She's been hanging out with Charles, but she doesn't like Darcy either. As far as we can tell, he's a jerk to friends and strangers alike."

"I can't argue with that, but then I was never one of his friends, though I've known him forever." Wick wrinkled his face in disgust.

"That looks like more than "not friends."

"Yeah…" Wick said slowly. "I had a summer internship at his LA office last year. And a job offer. He got it rescinded. It would have been an incredible job. Half-tuition covered, benefits, 60k a year." He sighed. "And that's the least of his crimes."

"What else could he do?"

"He learned from Gigi—his sister Giana, you know—that not all my family was legal. He reported them, and my uncle got deported."

"What? That's insane."

"Yeah. My tio's been here forever, but he never finished the citizenship process. ICE came and...boom. A month later he was gone."

"No way. I'm _so_ sorry. Why on Earth would Darcy do that?"

"Ah… I dated Darcy's sister."

"Giana? Oh! That's why Valerie thought you looked familiar."

"Ha. She's sharp. But yeah. Gigi was going through some stuff right then... and I—our relationship was a mistake. I broke it off after a few months. She's so young, and she was getting in over her head and I felt like I was part of that. I tried to encourage her to make good decisions, but I sucked at it. I've known her forever, too, perhaps that's why. Anyway, Darcy was furious with me for hurting her. Total protective big brother."

"And the job…"

"Who's not going to do a favor for the boss's son? Jerking my offer was the least they could do. Everybody there worships him."

"That seems unlikely."

"I'm not kidding. His father started the whole thing and he worked there every summer through high school." Wick mimicked an old lady voice. "He's _so_ hard-working, _so_ good, _so_ freaking Christ-like. Sorry, I guess I'm bitter."

"How cruel for him to indulge his resentment against your family. Even if you'd been absolutely awful to his sister, nothing justifies that."

"That's how I feel, but I can't really judge. Maybe if I had a sister I would be the same way. Gigi's a sweetheart. She felt awful about my job. She would have prevented it, I think, but she's got nowhere near her brother's influence. She would have fallen apart if she knew about my uncle. Phew, normally I wouldn't give you my whole, disappointing backstory on a first date. Sorry about that."

"What? You don't tell every girl how you dated a Disney popstar? I don't know why. It's not intimidating or anything."

"Intimidating? Gigi? She's sweet, but she's just a kid."

"Speaking of kids, I should collect Valerie soon."

Valerie flipped out when she realized Wick was one of Giana's ex-boyfriends. "I knew I'd seen you before! You were with her at the airport that time she got mobbed. And in the red carpet photos from…was it just last year? And-"

Elena squeezed her wrist viciously. "Yep, he was there, he probably remembers. Let's go."

"Are you going to their party next week?" Valerie asked him anyway.

"I wouldn't want to make Gigi uncomfortable. Her brother did a good job of that already."

Valerie's eyes lit up at this promising hint of juicy, insider gossip.

"No," Elena said, "we're going. Wick, have a safe drive back to LA."


	10. Chapter 10

Elena dropped off Valerie at home and drove to Noa's apartment. She was too upset by Wick's story to stay home, and although she knew there might be extenuating details, the similarity in their situations was striking. If Noa and Charles broke up (if they had enough of a relationship to _break_ ), would the backlash end up with Noa's deportation? Surely not, Elena was hesitant to think something so petty and cruel of anyone. But Darcy… He had a whole political organization committed to deporting people like Noa. Would Charles be enough of a reason that he would report her? Would Charles' _career_ be enough of a reason? Did Darcy even need a reason? Elena felt ill.

Nobody answered her knock, so Elena let herself into the condo with a key and climbed the stairs to the living room. Noa had three roommates sharing the two-bedroom condo, but two of them often stayed over with boyfriends, and the third worked most evenings, a waitress at Olive Garden.

It looked like a household of women. There was a box of tampons on the kitchen counter, and shampoo next to the sink. Noa sometimes washed her hair there, when she was in a pinch and the one bathroom was in use. The dishwasher was half full of clean dishes, sitting open, and a small mountain of feminine laundry covered one of the two love seats in the living room.

Elena didn't have to wait long. Noa let herself into the apartment just after ten.

"Elena?" she called up. "I saw your car out there." Noa's hair was down and a little tangled. Her eye-shadow was smudged, but on her, it could be a smoky-eye look. She was too beautiful for her own good. Noa flopped down next to Elena, arm-to-arm. "I thought you might be here. Where did you _meet_ that guy?"

Elena waved that aside. "It doesn't really matter – did you see how Darcy reacted to him? It was crazy."

Noa looked uncomfortable. "I don't know. They didn't tell me much – Darcy didn't say _anything_ – but Caroline told me your friend is not a good guy. She said he really hurt Darcy's sister, and that Darcy nearly had him arrested last fall."

"You can't have someone arrested for hurting your sister's feelings. I mean, if she was heart-broken, I feel bad for her, but…"

Noa looked shocked at her callousness. "Caroline was implying more than that. If they got the police involved, it must have been serious."

"Wick told me all about it. He did date Darcy's sister – they've known each other for years apparently – and he did break up with her, but he felt awful about it. If you could hear him, you'd understand. He knew she was having a hard time, but didn't want to lead her on. Anyway, it sent her into a bit of a tailspin. Darcy was furious. Noa. He reported Wick's family to ICE."

Noa's eyebrows went up. "Are they…"

"Wick's uncle got deported. He's doing okay, Wick tells me. They had family in Fresnio, I guess, and he went to them while he got on his feet. But his sister-in-law and her kids are still here and… It's bad. Darcy just… just _did_ it, Noa."

"I can't believe that's the whole story. No one would be so cruel."

Now Elena raised her eyebrows. "Yes, they would. That's the point of this whole election, isn't it? And Darcy is a big player in that world. I looked him up, he's not just a consultant, he supports all these candidates some of the stuff they post is so racist…"

"I know Charles isn't like that," Noa interrupted. "And Darcy is his friend. He helped him get elected! They're not that racist."

"Not Charles, maybe. But… Noa, I don't want to hurt you, but have you told him that you're a dreamer?"

"It's not something I blurt out on a first date." Her eyes didn't meet Elena's anymore. "Anyway, I have my DACA number now, I'm paying taxes. I'm basically-"

"I know, I know. But… what about Mom and Dad? What if Trump does get elected? They'll repeal DACA. If you're on the radar…"

Noa closed her eyes.

Elena didn't back down. "I don't think Darcy would do it out of hand, but what if you and Charles have a fight? Or what if you get more serious? What if Darcy thinks you'll hurt Charles' popularity or re-election goals?" Elena paled. She hadn't thought of that before she blurted it out, and now kicked herself for not realizing before. "Darcy's a cut-throat political consultant. What if you're in his way?"

Noa shook her head. "I just don't believe he's the monster you're painting him to be. And Charles is an adult. If he can't handle my status, well, then that's that. But it's no one else's business."

Elena opened her mouth and then shut it again. Noa was an adult, too. As much as Elena wanted to protect her, there was only so much she could do. At least she'd made Noa think about the danger to their parents.

Perhaps Elena was judging Charles too harshly. Perhaps he would stand up to his friend if it came to a fight over Noa. But… Elena thought back to their conversation on the patio when she was sweeping. She suspected Charles wouldn't fight his friend. He liked Noa, but wasn't he in the habit of trusting his friend's judgement more than his own?

Elena hoped she was blowing the risk out of proportion. Probably Charles would leave at the end of his vacation and their relationship would die a natural death. It would hurt Noa, but she would recover. Darcy wouldn't have any reason to intervene and draw attention to their family.

Noa sighed. "It probably won't come to anything anyway. Why would Charles want to stay with me, when it'll be so much trouble?"

"He'll be an idiot if he doesn't," Elena said loyally.

"Oh, Charles invited us to a party for his birthday next week," Noa said. "A bunch of their friends are driving up from LA. Come with me. If there are any monsters there, you can protect me."

Elena laughed, but cringed inside. A whole crowd of right-wing political types? What was Noa thinking? It would be awful. Even if no one knew their family was only quasi-legal, anchored by her and Valerie who were born here, it would still be unpleasant at best. At worst….

"I'll come," Elena reassured her. "I can keep an eye on the house anyway. I'll charge 'em for any horrendous messes."

Noa hugged her, and Elena headed home.

Elena and Valerie cleaned the cabin twice more before the party. Darcy had been present, but barely spoke to either of them. He kept his eyes on Elena more than she appreciated, and she could only assume he was wondering how much Wick told her.

Noa maintained that Charles would never go along with such a cruel over-reaction, so perhaps Darcy was worried that Elena would tell the sordid story to him.

Or maybe that wasn't why Darcy looked at her at all. Maybe he could sense how much she despised him and kept his eyes on her in instinctive self-defense. She was not above spitting in his gin and tonic if the opportunity presented itself. It was so infuriating to watch him working away at his laptop, probably sending funds to all sorts of horrible, racist politicians, while he sat in comfort in her family's cabin.

He didn't even have the (flimsy) excuse that deportation was just a statistic to him, not a reality. He'd _made_ it happen, he'd made some poor woman's husband disappear.

And though of much less importance, it bothered her that he'd shafted Wick's job offer. Good jobs didn't grow on trees.

She and Wick had texted periodically through the week. They hadn't made plans to get together yet, but Elena was looking forward to being back in Los Angeles next week. Who knew what might happen?

Wick probably wasn't _the one_ , if she was being honest with herself. He was a little narcissistic if his texting was any indication, but he was a blast to hang out with. She'd happily waste some time with him.

Darcy on the other hand...! Elena could not wait to see the last of him when she left Bearclaw.


	11. Chapter 11

On Friday night, Elena showered before the party, taking extra time to scrub the paint off her fingers and face. She was happy with how much she'd gotten done the last two weeks. She'd repainted the living room and kitchen at Rose Cabin, which had been empty for a few days. She'd done some of the other deep summer cleaning that usually fell on their dad – blowing out fuse boxes, weed-whacking the underbrush to stay in line with fire code, and fixing sprinkler lines. Even better, she'd scheduled painters for the exterior of each cabin, tree trimmers, and a carpenter to work on the walkway at Thurfield. She'd contacted the owner directly to make sure the money would be transferred in time, and he'd been resigned to the expenses when she outlined the necessity. As long as her mom followed through, the cabins would be back in great shape by September.

Now she would endure this party for Noa's sake, take a day off, and head back home on Sunday.

Her nails still had some brown stains underneath, but the stuff wasn't coming out, so Elena gave up and got dressed. Noa had volunteered to pick her up so they could arrive together (in a reliable car), and when she pulled up, Elena had never seen Noa look so beautiful. She was nearly twenty-six, and she looked even more stunning than she had at sixteen, when a guest at the ski lodge had tried to get her to sign up for his modeling agency. Elena and Noa had always shared a sisterly pride in each other, but Elena almost wished Noa looked drab tonight. There was no way Charles would get less interested in her while she looked like that.

An extra nine or ten cars were parked precariously on the steep road outside Thurfield, besides the three in the garage and driveway. It was a long way for people to drive to a party, but she supposed Charles and Giana could command a crowd wherever they wished.

Elena was more than a little curious to meet the famous Giana. Elena practically had to beat Valerie off with a stick to keep her from getting in the car and coming to the party.

All three floors of the cabin were lit up, shining gold against the dark pines and starry sky. Silver and red balloons were tied to the mailbox and they tangled and weaved in the dry nighttime breeze.

In a reversal of their normal roles, Elena was the one who hung back by the car, and Noa the one who compelled her to go in. "I know you think Darcy is evil incarnate, but he can't do anything awful at a party."

"Are you kidding? All sorts of awful things happen at parties."

"You know what I mean. And I still think there might have been a misunderstanding. Not that Wick is lying, but he might be… prejudiced."

"Valerie confirmed half of it just googling him and Giana online."

"You told _Valerie_?"

"No, of course not. I didn't tell her what to look for, but she still found smear stories about Wick."

"Still…" Noa knocked on the upper door. Music drifted through the open windows.

It opened almost immediately, and Charles was smiling and ushering them inside. It was more than a little weird to be ushered into a cabin she'd cleaned only the day before, as if Elena was a normal guest. The living room seemed strange and foreign, as if it suddenly belonged to this crowd of strangers rather than being (sort of) theirs. The dining room table was covered with trays of sushi. An assortment of wines covered the granite counter of the bar.

Charles introduced them to a few people while he urged them to get some food.

Elena started, "No, really –" But he was already pressing a plate in her hands and telling her which sushi was the best. It would have been pushy from someone else, but he radiated such genuine happiness and desire to see them enjoy themselves, it was hard to be annoyed. When they had food, he brought them down to the second level patio.

Maybe fifteen people were out there. Several sat in a group on the patio furniture – probably getting their butts dusty, Elena though furtively – and another group stood by the railing, looking through the trees toward the lake.

One woman stood a little apart from everyone, sipping from her wine glass. Elena saw her surreptitiously check the time on her phone. Charles tapped the lady on her shoulder. "Gigi, let me introduce these lovely ladies, Noa and Elena."

Her phone disappeared and she turned to them with a smile, particularly for Noa. "Charles mentioned you. Thanks for coming." She was a beautiful girl, Elena noted, her face had transformed from tired resignation to fascinating enthusiasm in a matter of seconds. She could turn it _on_ , as they say, but it seemed completely natural. Elena could see why she had a reputation for sincerity.

They chatted about the evening and the town, commonplace chit-chat but livened by Gigi's quiet laugh. People kept coming up to talk to Gigi, so Elena let herself be backed towards the outer wall of the house as the group around her grew. Charles and Noa drifted away to the railing.

Gigi was still animated, but the more people who joined in, the more the tiredness crept back into her cheeks. Her eyes went from smoky to shadowed.

Elena leaned her shoulder against the house and watched the interplay with interest, trying to guess who Gigi was truly friends with and who were only acquaintances. Some Elena pegged as clingers right away, people trying to ingratiate themselves with Gigi as fast as they could.

Elena couldn't deny she'd had her daydreams about celebrity. They used to involve skiing. More recently, they involved having a fitness client who excelled at sports and carried Elena to that level with them...

"Did you meet my sister?" Darcy asked.

Elena slopped a bit of her drink onto the deck in surprise. He must have come through the screen door that was half behind her. Silently, like a killer. "You startled me. That's going to be a sticky mess."

"Sorry."

Elena doubted he was really sorry. "Yes, I met your sister. She seems really...sweet."

"You were observing them quite intensely. Do you enjoy people-watching?"

"I do. I can be insanely critical and no one's the wiser."

"I doubt you're that hard on people."

"You have no idea. It's an indulgence of mine. That guy, for instance, has been eyeing Caroline's legs for five minutes, and I think he's..."

"Please don't. I have to work with him and I can't unhear these things," he said with a smile.

Elena realized she'd hoped to annoy him by pointing out something to do with Caroline. She smiled back tightly. "Right, I forgot these were all your friends."

"Friends might be too strong a word. Except for Charles."

Elena automatically glanced to where Charles and Noa stood, somehow alone on the crowded patio. Charles' hand was on Noa's back, quite gentlemanly, but clearly staking some kind of claim.

Elena didn't like Darcy, but he didn't have any active reason to lie to her. She nodded towards Charles and Noa, "If you don't mind my asking, does Charles often...?"

"Yes. There's generally a woman he's enthusiastic about at any given time. He's easily pleased."

Elena opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. She wasn't sure who he'd insulted more, Noa for meeting such a low standard or Charles for having it. Her anger, along with the pain she knew was coming for Noa, made her unwise.

"I suppose you think it's better to have nothing but contempt for women."

"I don't know how what I said could mean that."

"But you're not so 'easily pleased?'"

"No, but that's not the same thing as contempt. I just require more than..."

"A pretty face? Noa is much more than that."

"I wasn't going to say that. You're right, you are insanely critical. I was only going to say that I look for more than beautiful, kind, and funny. But I'm not insulting your sister, those are considerable assets."

Assets? He just got more insulting the longer she talked to him. As if Noa was a business venture that was decent, but not handsome enough to tempt him. As if she wasn't a person at all.

That was the real problem, wasn't it? He was so cold and narcissistic, he didn't view others as real- maybe that was how he could destroy Wick's family and not bat an eye.

He sipped his drink as if all was well, and he was enjoying the conversation. "To avoid stepping on your toes, may I change the subject? Have you followed any of the Olympic hopefuls this year?"

"What? Oh. No, I haven't."

"Not at all? I thought, since Noa mentioned how you loved sports, and you want a career in sports therapy, you would be interested."

The truth was that she knew quite a bit about some of the competitors who would go to Rio this year, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of fulfilling his expectation. "I have been rather busy this year," she said shortly.

"Do you have a job during the semester?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Of course I have a job. I work at a local gym in Northridge."

"Ah."

"And I went to several rallies," Elena said pointedly. "Anti-Trump rallies. If things keep going this way, there'll be more." She smiled sweetly, "That takes time, too."

His shoulders rose and fell with a large sigh, but if she thought to put him off, it didn't work. "I thought you didn't like to talk about politics?"

"I thought you had a red cap in your closet."

He laughed. "Oh, is that what this is about?"

Elena ground her teeth.

He continued, "The hat doesn't mean I'm racist or misogynist. I have to play the game. Trump won't win, but he'll still be obscenely wealthy after a failed election. If he decides to stay Republican, and he hasn't destroyed the party, he could be a significant donor. I'm going to meet him at the end of the month. I don't have to agree with-"

"Stop." Elena had the childish impulse to stick her fingers in her ears. Or dump her soda over his head. Didn't he hear how smug, two-faced, and arrogant he sounded? "This is serious to us… to a lot of people," Elena quickly expanded. "You should know how serious it is, if anything Wick said was true."

She'd finally wiped that self-satisfied look off his face.

He stood up straight. Suddenly even more inches separated their heights. "I don't know what he told you, and I don't care to hear it. He's a..." Darcy closed his mouth over a bad word. "He probably told you all sorts of horrible things about Gigi, too."

"Not at all, he spoke of her with affection and regret."

"Regret...! You shouldn't believe everything you hear. I didn't take you for a tabloid reader."

"I'm not. But anyone who heard his story would feel bad for him. I can relate to his situation."

"No. You really can't." He turned to walk away but paused. "I'd appreciate if you wouldn't speak of him to Gigi."

"You must think I'm cruel as well as stupid," Elena shot back. As if she would force a conversation about a bad breakup on a girl she'd barely met!

"No, of course not. Excuse me," he said stiffly.

Elena breathed deeply, trying to quell her anger. Darcy was exactly the kind of guy she couldn't stand. Sometimes she thought the rhetoric about arrogant, out-of-touch politicians was too much, but Darcy proved it all true.

At least Elena was leaving on Sunday. If she had to come here and clean one more time...we'll, she wouldn't be answerable for the consequences. She WOULD dump a drink on him. Or maybe her mop-water. That was a pleasant thought.

Elena set her mouth. She just had to endure another couple hours of this party. Then she'd be free.


	12. Chapter 12

After another ten minutes or so, Gigi disengaged from her crowd. She hesitated by the open sliding door. "It's Elena, right? Do you...need a refill? Want to join me?" The uncertainty in her voice seemed completely at odds with what Elena had just seen.

"Sure, of course." They went in together and instead of going to the bar, Gigi just went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "Would you like one? Or a soda?"

Elena smiled in relief, "I am terribly thirsty, I was outside all afternoon. Water would be great."

Gigi passed one over and sipped her own. "If I keep walking, I can have a conversation. Do you mind if we circle a bit?"

"Of course." But why did Gigi want to talk to her at all? Surely her brother hadn't mentioned that Elena knew Wick. That would be awkward.

No, it must be Noa and Charles that had got her attention. Charles was best friends with Gigi's big brother; Gigi was probably close to him, too.

The house wasn't packed, so it was relatively easy to slip by small groups but not positively stop.

"Charles seems really taken with your sister," Gigi commented, confirming Elena's suspicion.

"They've had some fun outings this last week. I...well, it's a shame he has to leave so soon." Elena tried to put some finality into her voice. If Gigi thought she had to warn Elena that Charles wasn't serious, Elena didn't want to hear it.

"He'll be in Los Angeles quite a bit this summer. But I'm sure he's told her that already. I hear you live in Northridge?"

"That's right, but Noa rarely makes it down to the valley. Her daycare job doesn't give a lot of vacation. Noa often helps our parents with odd jobs on the weekends, too. She's much more patient with them than I am."

"Ah." They paused on the stairs to the upper level of the house to let several people pass by. "That's rough. Do you come up here on the weekends, too?"

"Not usually."

"You know, Darcy and I will be staying in LA most of the summer, not far from you."

"Oh. I - I had the impression you didn't like LA." That had been the gist of Valerie's moanings, hadn't it?

Gigi wrinkled her lip. "I don't, believe me. It's a compromise. My parents will be there, however, and Darcy..."

"Ah." Surprisingly the game room was empty, so Elena led her in. It was dominated by a worn pool table and a rickety foozball game. "Family time."

"It'll be awful," Gigi said. "At least my parents won't pitch a fit if I stay with Darcy instead of them. They trust him completely."

But not Gigi?

Gigi took another drink of her bottle and rolled the eight ball absently. "I noticed Darcy and you were talking earlier."

"Yeah." Elena wasn't sure where this was going now. They'd veered far away from Noa.

"Arguing?" Gigi asked with a small smile.

Elena laughed. "Yes, a bit. We don't have much in common."

"I'm sure. I don't have much in common with him either. He's a great brother though, I can't even tell you."

Like getting her ex-boyfriend's uncle deported? Surely she couldn't overlook something like that.

Elena forced another smile. Maybe Gigi didn't know. Wick had said she felt awful about his job offer getting yanked. Maybe he hadn't told her about his uncle? Elena could easily imagine that to be the case. Clearly Wick cared deeply about Gigi, even though he'd felt the need to break off their relationship. He wouldn't want to make her feel a thousand times worse when there was probably nothing she could do to help.

That just made Elena dislike Darcy even more, for putting his sweet sister, in ignorance, in such a bad position.

Gigi continued, "Maybe we'll see you around this summer."

Like where, the laundromat? Elena was sure she didn't visit the kind of places they frequented.

Elena assented vaguely. Gigi was sweet but kind of clueless. Still, it was nice of her to make an effort. She didn't seem at all like a pop star.

"Darcy says you're studying to be a trainer?" Gigi asked.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm impressed he remembered."

"That's cool," Gigi said. "I've been thinking about what I might study in college."

"Are you—will you have time?"

She grimaced. "I hope so. I want to take a break and go to college. It's actually quite hard to give up a music career. Ugh. That sounds so...awful and entitled, but it's true." She looked embarrassed.

"That's not hard to believe. I'm sure there's a lot of pressure to continue. And even if there wasn't...it's hard to walk away from success." Elena's own experience with skiing was nothing compared to Gigi's career, but it _had_ been hard to leave behind something she loved and was good at.

Gigi nodded. "It's terrifying. What if I'm never good at anything else? And everybody tells me if I get out of the business, it'll be a hundred times harder to start up again."

People like her brother? Elena could just hear him threatening her like that. Probably managing her the same way he did his politician puppets like Charles. "I don't know anything about the music industry, but that sounds manipulative to me. I always get suspicious when people counsel fear."

She twisted her mouth. "But is it fear, or a helpful warning? How would I know the difference?"

"The difference is whether they're preventing danger or preventing you trying anything new. Sounds like the latter to me."

She smiled. "You don't waste time."

Elena grinned. "It doesn't take me long to make up my mind. And, not to sound full of myself, but I'm a pretty good judge of character. I think if you want to do something else, you should. You'll never know what new passion you might find."

Gigi smiled even wider. "That's a good point. You sound just like Darcy."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "Do I? Well, that settles it then. If he and I agree on something, it must be a sign."

It didn't make her dislike him any less, but she was glad to hear Gigi didn't have pressure from him. "I'm sure your parents would support you, too."

Gigi laughed, a little bitterly. "No, they love my career. Who do you think got me voice lessons since I was five?" She shook her head. "That's not fair of me. I loved singing and I always wanted to go to auditions. But now I want out and they don't understand...it's too easy to blame them."

"Parental stuff is hard, for sure."

"Yeah. It's going to be a long summer."

Three men stumbled up the stairs and to the door of the game room. "Here she is!" one of them exclaimed. "We were coming up for a game. Of pool. Join us, Gigi."

They weren't terribly drunk, but they weren't sober either.

"No, thanks. I'm rubbish at pool," Gigi said. "Enjoy yourselves."

The other two guys went to the table, but one stood in the doorway and unless Gigi pushed him out of the way, she couldn't exactly leave.

"Come on, we haven't talked to you all night, and we only drove up because Caroline asked us to come for you."

Gigi's lips thinned a bit, but she was still smiling. "That was so nice of you…"

"Mike Vance," he filled in, confirming Elena's suspicion that Gigi didn't actually know these guys at all.

"Mike," Gigi repeated. "Thanks for coming. Caroline didn't even tell me she was having a party."

"Surprise!" He leered at her.

The other guy had collected the balls and used the triangle to set the up. He held the cue to her. "You wanna break? We can play doubles."

"No, sorry. Gotta go mingle some more," Gigi said.

"You've been up here forever. A few more minutes for your friends."

Mike braced his hands on the doorframe, perhaps because he needed support, and smiled at Elena. "Are you a friend of Gigi's? Any good at pool?"

"No," Elena said. "We were just going down."

Gigi shrugged and mouthed 'sorry' to Elena, as if somehow this was her own fault.

Elena was through with it. She moved around to flank Gigi. "We need to go down now. Would you move the hell out of the doorway?"

He laughed, but looked hurt, too. "I was just messing around." He didn't move, but he stood up straight and raised his hands, in mock surrender.

Elena brushed by him and Gigi came, too, after a moment of hesitation.

"Goodnight," Elena said to them, "have a good game."

On the stairs, Gigi actually apologized. "Sorry. I know them a bit—as well as I seem to know anyone these days—they're pretty harmless."

Elena shrugged. "I could tell they were just being annoying. You don't have to apologize."

"It's just—people seem to think I owe them—especially if they came somewhere to see me. They behave worse than they normally would. Sorry you got roped in."

"It's really fine."

Darcy appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He was his normal stoic self, but when he looked up and smiled at Gigi, Elena was startled at the transformation. For the first time, she saw why Valerie and her friends said he was hot.

The moment was over when he looked at her. He was still smiling, but Elena thought she could detect notes of condescension in it now. It definitely changed from natural to forced. He was probably wondering why his sister spent so long with her anyway.

"Elena," he said. "Caroline wanted to let several guests spend the night, several more than we expected, I mean."

Elena groaned inwardly. Was he going to ask her to set up trundle beds and pull-out couches at the end of the party? Not only was she not dressed for it, she didn't want to stay for the end of the party! She'd been hoping to catch Noa's eye soon and wrap it up.

Gigi frowned too, perhaps anticipating the same thing -she was so much nicer than her brother! - but he surprised them both.

"Your mother and sister just arrived with more supplies."

Elena froze. Oh no.

Elena excused herself and darted - casually - to the main living room. It was bad. Her mother was already in close conversation with Charles. He had a pleasant expression but a slight frown on his forehead. Noa was nowhere in sight. Valerie was at the bar, flirting with the bartender, but Elena's impression was that he was denying her a drink, so she decided to focus on her mom.

It was too late. Elena walked up to them and heard her mother saying, "We would never want to ask for special treatment, but you've already seen how special Noa is. She doesn't deserve to be punished for her father's choices. She has a DACA number, but I'm so afraid the renewal is going to be denied. Elena says Noa needs to be persistent with the legal aid," she gestured at Elena, who felt sick with realization at what was happening, "but it's just not the same. I'm sure you could straighten it out. Even," he mother took a gulping breath, "something permanent."

As if citizenship was just something could be 'straightened out!' As if Charles might have a green card in his pocket he could just give her.

As if politicians and activists hadn't been fighting this issue for decades.

Elena opened her mouth, but couldn't figure out what to say. The damage was done. This was the worst possible way for Charles to find out Noa was an undocumented immigrant. Elena finally blurted, "Mom, I need your help sorting these sheets." She took the heavy plastic grocery bag hanging from her mom's arm. "PLEASE."

If ever her mother responded to a hint, let it be now, Elena prayed, before Noa appeared from the bathroom or wherever she'd gone, to find this horrible conversation in progress.

Her mom glared at her. "Elena, everything is fine for _you_ , don't you think it's worth a difficult conversation to get the same for your sister?"

This wasn't a difficult conversation, this was a train wreck.

Charles smiled awkwardly. "Noa is the oldest, so you and Valerie..."

"We're legal," Elena confirmed. "Noa didn't...she wasn't going to... she wasn't planning..." Elena cursed her stupid tongue. He needed to know that Elena hadn't targeted him because he was a representative. He needed to know she wasn't just trying to get something out of him. But that wasn't an easy thing to blurt out. And frankly, if he hadn't already figured out that Noa was as guileless as a woman could be, he didn't deserve to know her better.

Charles nodded, the startled look had given way to a polite, political smile and Elena didn't blame him. What a horrible thing to spring on him in the middle of his birthday party. He put his hand on her mom's shoulder. "Thank you for sharing your concerns with me, Mrs. Benitez. Maybe we can talk more about it later. Let me go find Noa and tell her you're here."

Elena pulled her mother to the kitchen. She was furious. She wanted to demand what right her mother had to tell Noa's secrets without permission. What right to interfere in a relationship, that, even if it was to be short-lived, had made Noa happy. At least it could have ended naturally, rather than whatever would happen now.

Elena's mother looked back at her with a challenge. She knew Elena was mad, and Elena knew whatever was said wouldn't change her mom's mind. She wouldn't even care that she'd told a publicly elected individual that she and her husband were illegal immigrants. She'd probably accuse Elena of selfishness again.

Elena sighed sharply. "Let's just divide these up and put them in the right rooms."

Caroline pushed through the kitchen door. "There you are. Could you go ahead and set up those extra beds you told me about? Except for the couch in the living room, of course, since we're still using that room."

Elena nodded numbly and took the two trundle sets. One of them was in Caroline's room and one in an empty bedroom.

Elena went to that one first. She pulled out the trundle and quickly got the sheets on the unwieldy mattress.

In Caroline's room, the trundle got stuck. Elena knelt on the floor, awkward in her relatively short dress, and tried to get the wheels back on the track.

Elena heard the water running in Charles' bathroom.

He probably wanted to splash his face with cold water before he broke up with Noa.

No, that was harsh. Elena didn't think he would be that cold or that obvious.

She heaved one set of wheels into the metal groove when she heard Darcy's voice through the wall.

"You alright? Caroline asked me to get you back upstairs."

"Coming."

" _Are_ you alright?" Darcy asked again, sounding surprised.

"I..."

Elena held her breath. Would he blurt it all out to his friend? He just found out something very personal about Noa and if he didn't even wait _five minutes_ to get Darcy's advice...

"I'm fine," Charles said. "Tired."

Elena smiled miserably. He really was a good guy.

She got the bed squared away, and headed back upstairs.

She'd nearly forgotten Valerie in the maelstrom of frustration with her mother, but she was forcibly reminded when she heard frightened shouts on the large balcony.

Valerie was walking on the wooden railing that lined it. It was insanely dangerous. There would be broken bones if she fell, possibly even a broken neck.

Several guests were laughing, but more than a few were calling for her to get down. Thankfully no one was trying to grab at her. If she struggled or stepped wrong, she would fall.

Gigi was one of the people near the railing. "Please get down," she said in her soft voice.

Valerie's voice was louder. "No worries! I practically grew up here, I know exactly how to step. I did gymnastics."

Elena glared at Valerie when she was close enough. "Get down right this moment."

"Look Elena! I almost made it all the way around."

Gigi bit her lip. "You're really scaring me."

Valerie did a sort of hop-twisty-leap on to the safety of the deck. "Ta-da! Oh man, I love feeling so alive. That's what I'm saying: you have to do that movie. It would be such a dub!"

Gigi was pale, but trying to be game. "A dub?"

"A 'W'. A win!"

"Sure, maybe so." She looked to Elena for help.

"Valerie, we need to go." Elena locked her hand around Valerie's upper arm, though not nearly as violently as she wanted to. "Right now."

Valerie jerked away. "I'm talking to Gigi. I know she got really sick of LA when she was dating Wick, but it's not so bad."

Gigi blanched. Darcy had just joined them, of course, and his eyes flew to Elena's face. Valerie swayed to the music, oblivious. "Hollywood is the best."

That was it, the night had officially been destroyed. Darcy probably thought she'd told the whole story to Valerie.

Elena squeezed Valerie's arm and hissed in her ear, "We need to get mom out of here."

"You take Mom. I can go home with Noa later."

Elena wanted to slap Valerie. "No. Charles is upset, we need to go."

"Why? Oh fine, I'm coming. Stop ripping my arm off."

A break in the music allowed Elena to apologize quickly to Gigi, who smiled stiffly, already masking her discomfort. Elena ignored Darcy, standing silent and disgusted behind Gigi's small frame and added, "It was great to meet you, Gigi. I hope you have the best of luck with your plans."

She drew Valerie with her back into the house and managed to snag her mother in the kitchen again. "Let's go, you can take me home and Noa can leave when she wants."

They finally got out the door, the only delay caused by Valerie grabbing a big handful of sushi on the way out.

Elena got in the backseat of her mother's car and slammed the door. Only then did she notice the dust bunnies that had stuck on the black lace of her dress, no doubt acquired when she changed the sheets. Ugh, Elena couldn't even accuse her mom and Valerie of solely ruining Noa's night with Charles, apparently she'd added to the spectacle.

She could still picture Gigi's stricken look, Darcy's disgusted one, and worst of all, Charles' tired voice from the next room. What a mess.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it!**


	13. Chapter 13

Gigi was glad the party wrapped up only an hour after Elena left. Gigi had no great desire to mingle after they left, and it wasn't just that Elena's younger sister had scared her to death. Gigi had been holding her phone, ready to dial 911. She hated wild parties where people did stupid, life-threatening stunts (or stupid, life-threatening drugs), and she'd been to too many of them.

At least the party was over by one in the morning. Maybe there was an upside to making their guests drive two hours to get there, they all left at a reasonable hour. She'd told Caroline it felt odd to invite people such a long way, rather presumptuous, but Caroline had been right after all. If she threw a party, people came.

Caroline was the one who'd gotten Gigi interested in Elena. Ever since Gigi arrived with Fitz, air-kissed Caroline, and asked if she was having a nice vacation, the complaints about Elena hadn't stopped. Sometimes Noa was included in this - when Charles wasn't around - but always Elena.

Gigi would have thought Elena had single-handedly ruined the last two weeks for her them, except that Caroline had slipped. "The house is barely adequate, I guess, but you know what your brother is like. He hasn't treated this like a vacation at all. Charles is out with that girl almost every evening and Darcy won't look up from his computer unless Elena is here. She takes forever to clean the house, just to hang around half the day."

Gigi almost missed the hint in the tide of discontent, but not quite. Hmm.

Her brother hadn't mentioned Elena at all, except to say that Charles was having another fit of commitment with a woman they'd met here. Caroline said his biological clock was ticking so loudly it almost drowned out the incessant mosquitos.

When Gigi outright asked Darcy about Elena, he'd shrugged. Yes, Noa's sister had been around some, and eaten with them one night.

"Is she as beautiful as her sister?" Gigi had already heard all about Noa from Charles.

"No, but she's smarter. Not as nice as Noa, but if I was stuck in a conversation with one of them, I'd pick her."

He'd gone back to his email, and Gigi was surprised she'd gotten as much as she had. But Darcy spoke again, "Not that she's anything above the average. I've barely spoken to her since last Friday. Don't let Caroline give you ideas."

Gigi had giggled. That settled it, way too much protest. If he hadn't taken notice of this woman, he wouldn't care what Caroline thought of it. He wouldn't remember the last time he'd spoken with her, either.

Gigi considered Caroline a good friend, but she wasn't blind to her long-term crush on Darcy. Crush wasn't even the right word though, Caroline seemed to have decided they would work and gone after him.

Gigi had asked her once, diffidently, because she wasn't sure it was her business, if Caroline didn't want someone who was crazy about her. Clearly Darcy wasn't, but that didn't seem to deter Caroline, which made no sense to Gigi. What was the point of a relationship if you only felt...tolerated?

Caroline had pushed back her sunglasses and her eyes were a little desperate. "I do want that. And I'll _have_ it, but sometimes you need patience."

Gigi had been a little afraid of her that day. Darcy did sometimes _treat_ Caroline as his girlfriend. She was often his plus-one for political galas and fundraisers. He knew Caroline well, and he liked Charles a lot, so it was easy. Gigi didn't want him to settle for _easy_. He and Caroline were so unhealthy together. Caroline was needy and controlling, he was complacent and sometimes harsh. Then Caroline acted hurt until Darcy invited her to his next event. Gigi loved Darcy and was fond of Caroline, but they were no good.

Gigi had immediately spotted Darcy when he approached Elena on the patio, and Gigi didn't know Elena well-enough to read her body language, but she knew her brother, and he was _into_ her.

Gigi waved to the last guest and slipped to her room. She took off her shoes and checked her phone. The screen was too bright in the darkness of her temporary bedroom. There were emails from her agent, her publicity manager, and her mother. There were fifteen calendar appointments next week, and three reminders for phone calls she needed to make that weekend, all of which she was dreading.

And there was a missed call from her pharmacist in Sacramento that her anti-depressant had been refilled. Gigi would need to request her prescription be transferred to a pharmacy in LA. She added the reminder.

The phone was on five percent battery power.

Too many things to do. At least tonight she'd had something happy to think about. Gigi dug through her suitcase to find her phone charger.

She almost plugged it into the wall by her bed - it was so close and she was so tired! - but part of her therapy at the moment was not sleeping with her phone in the room.

Gigi padded back to the living room in bare feet. It was about one in the morning, but she was not surprised to see her brother sitting on the couch, lit only by the glow of his laptop.

"That's terrible on your eyes," Gigi said.

"I'm almost done."

"You always say that." She found a plug next to the bar and plugged in her charger, leaving the phone on the cool, granite countertop.

"Good for you," he commented. He knew all about the weird things her therapist recommended. He was one of the only people she'd talked to while she'd been in rehab.

"I talked to Elena tonight," Gigi said. "About quitting the biz."

"Did you? I didn't think you were ready to float that to the masses yet."

"It was an impulse. I'd cornered her to talk about...Charles." It had been Darcy, of course, but he wouldn't appreciate that. "Anyway, she seemed super cool and I just found myself talking."

"What did she say?"

"Pretty much what you've said. It was nice to have somebody else tell me I'm not crazy."

"I'm glad."

He sure wasn't giving anything away. Gigi wrinkled her lip. "Alright, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late."

"Goodnight."

There were extra people in all the rooms, and muffled conversations told her people were still awake. She didn't want to get pulled into a tete-a-tete tonight, particularly with Caroline, so she snuck back into her room and lay down silently.

Gigi knew she was probably making too much out of her brother's slight interest in Elena, but she didn't care. Elena seemed great, and her brother never seemed interested in _anyone_. If she'd been watching Charles, Gigi wouldn't have thought more about it, but her brother was different. Maybe Gigi could invite Elena to their house in Los Feliz. Did they have enough of an acquaintance for that? Or maybe they could meet for coffee first, or to work out or something... Gigi fell asleep making plans.

#

Darcy closed his laptop with a thunk. He was distracted, now that Gigi had come through and talked about Elena.

It wasn't Elena that distanced him from his work, though. It was the whole situation with Gigi. She was finally doing better, and then he'd found out Wick was sniffing around their vacation. He'd made friends with Elena, even.

Darcy had asked her not to say anything to Gigi, but then her little sister had blurted out something about him anyway. Darcy should have spared his breath.

At least Gigi didn't seem too thrown by it. She'd seemed quite cheerful tonight.

Then there was Charles. Charles had walked Noa out to her car some time ago, and Darcy was pretty sure he hadn't come back in yet. He'd said some things yesterday that implied he was planning to see Noa again this summer and made Darcy uneasy. Yes, Noa was beautiful, but did Charles really think there was a future there?

Apparently so. He'd even mentioned tha the might ask Noa if she could get time off to go the Olympics with him, in Rio de Janeiro. Charles had an uncle on the Olympic committee and his family always attended if they could.

Darcy shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't believe in attraction and love - but couldn't Charles find somebody already in their world to fall in love with? How hard could that be? Surely there were other women as beautiful and sweet and perfect as he kept saying Noa was.

How could she really be that special? That was the crux of it.

Darcy heard the door open. That was probably Charles now. Darcy didn't say anything. He was not in the mood to hear more about Charles infatuation with Noa.

But Charles came over to the couch and sank down on it with a sigh.

"Am I safe?" he asked.

That was a loaded question between them. Darcy'd tried to impress upon Charles that anything and everything he said could be used against him when he began a political career. Any indiscretion, badly phrased joke, angry retort—it all could and would be heard, recorded, and brought back to discredit him. Only Trump seemed immune to that. A lowly state rep certainly wasn't.

Not that Charles had to hide who he was. Darcy only wished more of the politicians who benefitted from his organization were as solid as Charles. But even the most even-tempered, respectful, genuinely-caring person in the world could make a mistake on a bad day.

"More or less," Darcy said slowly. "Remember there are people in the house." He couldn't imagine what Charles would have to say that would be problematic.

Charles rubbed his face and closed his eyes. "Without specifics then. Does Noa strike you as someone who...would cultivate a relationship with an ulterior motive? Or even to coerce someone?"

Darcy's eyebrows went up. "No, she doesn't, but I haven't spent as much time with her as you have. Did you do something that gives her leverage?"

"No, nothing like that. I just wonder if I completely misread her. I trust your judgement more than mine."

"For what it's worth, I read her as completely genuine."

"Thanks. That's a relief. I half-invited her to accompany me to the governor's thing in September."

"That's big."

"I know. But after tonight... I don't know. If it came down to a major commitment, or nothing, would I be crazy to choose the commitment?"

Yes. Darcy shifted uneasily, the word hovering in his mouth. "Your vague questions are scaring me. Is she pregnant? No, that's stupid, sorry. But something on that level?"

"No. But if I'm going to be with her publicly, I'll have to go big."

Darcy frowned. "I don't—you know I'm the last person in the world to give advice like this, but Charles, do you think she wants that level of commitment? I know she enjoys spending time with you, but...well, she seems to enjoy everyone she talks to."

Charles clasped his hands between his knees. "Oh."

When Charles answered in one syllable, Darcy knew he was upset. "I think she likes you, obviously. But... she seems to like everybody. She certainly isn't clingy."

Charles nodded. "She spent as much time talking with other people tonight as she did with me, but I hoped it was just good manners. Giving me space, not making our guests uncomfortable."

"Maybe it was. But maybe...if she's just casually interested in you...and whatever happened tonight is a problem...you should just let her go. I honestly don't think she'd be heartbroken."

Charles stood. "Probably right. Why would she? Thanks for the input. 'Night."

Darcy winced. He felt bad for his friend, but not that bad. Better to face the truth than change his life for a woman only moderately interested in.

If only Charles could be as emotionally disciplined as Darcy, it would hurt less. As much as Darcy liked Elena, and he had, almost immediately, he knew it would be stupid to pursue her. He'd indulged himself with a few conversations, but nothing that made it impossible for him to leave without saying goodbye. Nothing that gave her any reason to suppose he was offering more.

She'd annoyed him briefly tonight, bringing up Wick, but he knew it wasn't fair to hold that against her. She didn't know the whole story. On the whole, he'd enjoyed talking to her more than anybody else tonight, probably all week, but he still kept his emotions in check. It was unfortunate that she wasn't the kind of person that would fit into his life, but he wasn't going to break his heart about it. He'd just wait till he found a woman in his own circles who interested him as much.

Charles could do worse than to follow his example.


	14. Chapter 14

Elena's apartment was _hot_ when she got home Sunday afternoon. Her roommate was visiting her own family in Vegas, so the small air-conditioning unit in the window had been off for days.

Elena clicked it on and dropped her suitcase by the couch.

Something in the kitchen smelled rotten. A sniff confirmed it was the garbage, so she pulled the trash out and knotted the plastic bag. Her roommate had emptied the sink, washed the dishes, and even vacuumed, so Elena forgave her the rotten stench.

She left her apartment and jogged down the outdoor stairs to the dumpster at the back of the property.

"Elena, you're back." Carlos's voice came from his tiny balcony that overlooked the baking rear parking lot.

Elena raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Hey." She tossed her trash in the dumpster. Even the flies had abandoned it during the hottest part of the afternoon. They'd be back in force in the next hour or so.

Carlos called down to her, "I'm trying out a new rat poison, see the boxes?"

Ugh. They were lined up against the apartment walls, and next to the dumpster. "Yep." She went back up the stairs quickly, but Carlos met her at the top.

"Do you notice anything different up here?"

Elena looked around. "Did you paint the railing?"

"Yes! Isn't this a better shade of brown? You know, finding the right paint to use in high traffic, outdoor areas is quite complicated. First, you need to figure out what the substrate is. Metal? But what kind of metal? Wood, treated or untreated?"

"Yeah. I actually looked up quite a bit about that while I was home. I need to go—"

"Of course, I saw your car was here, so I knew you'd just gotten back. What are you doing tonight?"

"Groceries, laundry, TV. I have to go to work early tomorrow."

"I hate to ask, but could you take me to the store? My car's in the shop."

Elena hesitated. She _did_ need to go to the store. There was nothing edible in the fridge but sour cream and salad dressing.

Carlos tended to presume on their being cousins (second cousins!) and she didn't like him very much, but he'd never been out of line.

Would it be stupid to give him a ride though, and raise expectations? Or would it be really callous to go to the store and NOT take him? Was she just as judgmental and cold-hearted as Darcy and Caroline?

"You know, sure," Elena said. "I'm going to Vallarta in half an hour and you can come if you need to."

He met her outside at the appointed time and Elena silenced her frustration as he got in the passenger seat and began to talk about his car and his ex-girlfriend's faults.

The short drive gave her time to regret her impulsive offer. She usually trusted her judgement of people, and it just showed how messed up the last two weeks had been to make her start second-guessing herself.

She figured this trip was still probably harmless, and she didn't want to go back on her agreement, but she wasn't going to let him think this was a date.

She didn't talk as she drove the short distance to the grocery store. He looked around her car, visibly scoping out the space and the bed of the truck.

When they got there, she grabbed her purse and the bags from behind her seat and slammed the rusty door.

He walked a little too close to her as the went in, but Elena chalked it up to her bad mood.

"My girlfriend always went to Trader Joe's," he commented.

"I'll meet you in about twenty minutes," Elena said countered. "That enough time?"

"Well, probably, though selecting the best deals—"

She walked quickly a few aisles away, but he caught up to her in the dairy section, and she couldn't really shake him off. He needed similar things, with the addition of three six-packs of beer, so he wasn't out of line to follow her through the store.

And it seemed needlessly rude not to let him put the heavy stuff in her cart.

And he kept talking about his old girlfriend.

This was _such_ a bad call.

When they checked out, the cashier assumed they were together despite the plastic separator she'd clearly placed between their things. Heck, she'd put the separator there like a wall, plus an empty demarcation zone on either side, and the cashier _still_ started to ring it up together.

"It's separate," Elena said. "Separate."

She was quiet again as she drove back to the apartment, but Carlos seemed to have relaxed. The setting sun was in her eyes, and she felt sweaty and gross.

She just wanted to get home.

"What a helpful trip," Carlos said when they parked and pulled their bags out of the dirty truck bed. "This was fun."

"No problem. It was nothing."

He followed her up the stairs and instead of passing on to go to his own apartment he stopped.

Elena had to set her bags down to unlock her door, and he touched her arm. "Want help?"

"No thanks, I'm good. 'Night." She kicked the door shut with her heel. She'd been right about him. He was definitely angling to get together. She had not plans to do so, but she didn't want to alienate him, since—darn it—he _was_ a good apartment manager. And her mother would give her so much grief about it.

Ugh. She just wanted to put her groceries away and go to sleep. She waited a couple minutes and then locked the front door.

There. Now she could relax.

Her apartment had cooled down considerably, at least in the living room. The AC didn't really reach her bedroom. Normally it wasn't too hot in there if she put a fan in her window at night, but after days of accumulated heat, it would be. Maybe she'd sleep on the couch tonight.

She checked her phone again, but there was no text from Noa. She'd been uncharacteristically silent after the disastrous party. Elena knew that Noa had stayed later and talked to Charles before she left, but she hadn't shared any of it with Elena.

As much as Elena wanted her sister to be Cinderella and Charles her prince, she didn't see any glass slippers of salvation in this situation.

She'd prayed half the drive home that Noa would come out of this whole.

There were no texts. That could be good or bad. The Thurfield group were set to checkout at noon, around the time Elena was driving away.

Maybe Charles was taking Noa on a last date.

Maybe he was back in Sacramento.

Maybe Darcy was contacting his ICE buddies to have them check a family who lived in Bearclaw, California...

Elena shook her head. She couldn't think like that. It was too easy to be afraid all the time.

As a child, she'd always been afraid of police and other authorities. Elena and Valerie were 'anchor babies,' born in the US and having citizenship even though their parents didn't. But Elena never felt like that strong of an anchor. Everyone knew the government could legally cut the rope and send her parents away at any time.

Then there were the horror stories about ICE deportations circulating through the community. Half of them were urban legends - like the stroke victim tossed on a plane and dumped out of wheelchair on the tarmac in Mexico City. Or the twins from El Salvador sent back alone to become street kids. Urban legends.

But too many of the stories were true, and it was terrifying. What would her father do if he was suddenly shipped back to Mexico? He'd come because his sister and her family were here. He had an uncle still living, but he was old. And her dad couldn't work in his current condition. Sometimes Elena tried to think through worst case scenarios, like the kind of thing that had happened to Wick. She could send money to her parents- at least a little bit. Noa would help, if she wasn't deported, too... but if Noa wasn't deported, she would probably never see their parents again as she couldn't safely leave the country and they wouldn't be allowed back in.

Valerie could come to live with her—horrible thought—but probably better than sending her back to Mexico.

Elena took a long drink of ice water. It was a mess and this thing with Noa had brought it all to the forefront.

Instead of Noa, Elena texted Wick.

 _Hey, I'm back in LA. Want to hang soon?_

She held the phone for a moment, wondering what Wick was doing. Then realized she had a missed call. She didn't give her number out very often, so unknown calls were rare. Elena put it to her ear to hear the voicemail.

"Hi Elena, this is Gigi. I know we only spoke briefly at Charles' birthday party, but I remember you said you were a personal trainer? I was wondering if you had any recommendations in LA. Or really... I wanted to know if _you_ might be available. But I don't know where you're located or your schedule, of course. Um, give me a call if you're interested, I guess. Thanks."

Elena listened to it again. Gigi-the famous pop star-wanted ELENA to be her new trainer? That was nuts.

They'd chatted for a while, but frankly the night had been so over-powered by her mother, Elena had not given much more thought to Gigi.

In retrospect, Gigi _had_ shared a lot more with her than might have been expected. Surely Gigi wasn't telling every fan that she wanted to quit and that she had a strained relationship with her parents.

Elena called back right away. She expected it to go to voicemail-when did busy people ever answer the first time?-but instead Gigi picked up on the second ring.

"Hi, is this Elena?" Gigi even got the pronunciation of her name just right. E _len_ a, not e-Lay-na, as most white people said.

"It is. I was surprised to get your message."

"Yes, well, I was wondering...but I know it's far for you to come...maybe if you had time on the weekend? See, I need to keep working out. But..."

The poor girl sounded really nervous. Didn't anybody ever tell her she was famous?

Elena broke in. "You're wanting a personal trainer to come to your house? I'd love to do that. I don't have any classes over the summer, so I'd just have to work it into my gym schedule. Would weekends work better for you?"

"No, not really. My weekends are packed, but if it was short..."

"No, that's fine. If you're available any late mornings or early afternoons during the week, I could definitely work you in. Those are usually my down times."

"That would be perfect, thank you!"

They worked out a time, and then Gigi quickly said goodbye.

That girl was clearly not cut out to be a celebrity. Elena hoped, for Gigi's own sake, that she'd find a way to have a quieter life.

The fact that she was reaching out to an (almost) total stranger for something as personal as this-to come into her home!-must mean she didn't have a big support group in LA. Possibly not at all. That was odd, right?


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry for the mess of emails! I was updating the story and fixing the chapter headings. This is the new chapter today! (October 5)**

Elena's alarm went off at four thirty the next morning. It was one of those that got progressively louder, and she grunted as it became un-ignorable. She was sweaty, despite the relatively cool night air coming in her open window, and her hair stuck to her neck and face.

She peeled it off as she got up to turn off the alarm.

Her first client would be at the gym around five, so Elena had fifteen minutes to get cleaned up and fifteen to get to work. One great thing about early gym hours, the streets were almost always clear. The horrible LA traffic didn't kick in until six or so.

Elena made it there two minutes early, finishing her banana on the way in the door.

"Welcome back, Ellie," the receptionist said. "We missed you."

Elena smiled wryly. She was back in her other persona now. 'Ellie' was a good physical trainer and solid employee. Ellie's life seemed simple. It was independent. Ellie had reasonable hopes of being a certified sports therapist in another year.

When Elena went home and reverted to _Elena_ it all changed. 'Elena's' life was complicated. It was often anxious. It seemed impossible that she would earn an advanced certification.

Elena wasn't sure how Ellie had become her name here. Nobody else in her life called her that, but after the first few weeks, when she'd realized how easily it slid off the tongue of her white clients, she'd gone with it.

Most of them said Elena with a white accent anyway "E-lay-na," rather than E- _len_ -a, which she didn't mind, but gave her even less incentive to push back on Ellie.

The gym was on the edge of Northridge and Chatsworth, large cities in the midst of greater LA, and she had a broad mix of regulars. Elena's first client, Suzie, was a forty-ish blonde with three kids and her own elite dog-grooming business. She came to work out, but she liked to talk, and Elena enjoyed their half hour.

Suzie asked after Elena's vacation with her family, and wowed upon hearing they lived by Bearclaw. "That's such a beautiful spot. I would love to retire there."

Elena agreed, wondering how long her parents could afford to continue there, if her father didn't fully recover soon. Their aunt would help, but she barely broke even with the cafe many months.

Elena got Suzie going with the free weights and changed the subject. "Any famous dogs in this week?"

"No, not really, just my regulars. Everybody is enjoying the first weeks of summer, they don't care what their dogs look like. Next week it'll hit them that they're shedding poodles and they'll start bringing them in. Oh, I might have another commercial though. An Easter rabbit thing."

"Easter?"

"Oh yeah, they have to plan way out."

She told Elena about some of the other commercials she'd worked, dyeing sheep and brushing cats.

Suzie was a regular, so she knew the drill, she just needed somebody to help her keep at it, change it up, challenge her. Their session was over before Elena knew it.

"Thanks Ellie. Glad you're back!" Suzie called as she headed for the cardio room.

Elena had three more clients in a row, then she led a spinning class. That was one of her favorite jobs.

When Elena's phone rang that night, with Noa's ring-tone, she braced herself. Whatever fall-out had happened, apparently Noa was ready to share now. Elena slipped on her flip-flops and headed out of her apartment. She could never focus on a conversation when she was trapped in there.

"Hi, Noa. How are you doing?" she asked carefully.

A slight pause, and then Noa said, "I'm fine. I wanted to let you know that...everything was fine after the party. Charles was very kind about it. There's no... danger. Mom said you were convinced she and dad would get hauled off now." She laughed with a painful attempt at lightness.

"I'm...glad," Elena said simply, not sure what else to say. Clearly Noa was the opposite of fine, but her sister had never shut her out this hard. Elena wasn't sure how hard she should push.

"So. How are you?" Noa asked.

That was it? Elena changed her mind. "Noa, sweetie. What happened? You can tell me."

"It's...nothing. Everything is fine. Like you said, it was just a fun summer fling. As if we had any future."

"Sarcasm doesn't work when you're sniffing. I'm so sorry. Whatever happened or didn't...I'm really sorry."

"I know. You're not one to rub it in. But...I guess you could say, 'I told you so.'"

"Ah. He wasn't so kind after Mom outed us then?"

"No, he was. I..." Noa finally broke down crying. "It was horrible. He was so quiet and just said everything that was polite. Then he emailed me the next day and...and apologized if he was short with me. He offered to help with my DACA renewal."

"The pig."

Noa sob-laughed. "He was so generous. He gave me the number of a good immigration lawyer and said I could use his name as a referral. He recommended I ask my employer if they'd be willing to sponsor me as an early childhood specialist. If they help me further my education, they could apply for a work visa and eventually it could lead to a green card. He told me to contact him at any time if I wasn't sure of the next step."

"Wow. If he asked you to contact him, maybe I was wrong. Maybe he does still want-"

"No. He doesn't. If you could see the email...It's the most impersonal thing. 'From the Office of State Representative Charles Lee.' I wanted to throw up."

"I'm so sorry, Noa."

"He thinks I was using him. That's the worst part."

"I doubt it. If he got to know you at all, then he knows you're not manipulative."

"Why not? It LOOKS like I was trying to get exactly what he's given me. If not more. And why should I blame him? I'm just _an illegal alien_. Barely a high school graduate, with a dead-end job..." A muffled sob came through, probably Noa had pulled the phone away.

"You love that job. And he would be lucky to have someone like you."

"Thanks. You would say that no matter what, since I'm your sister, but I appreciate it."

"I beg to differ. Charles would not be lucky to have me...or Valerie, God forbid. You're the one worth having, I stand by it."

"It doesn't matter. He's gone. I'll probably never see him again. Caroline said they all agreed Bearclaw doesn't suit them as well as Aspen."

Elena sank down on the steps outside the pool enclosure. A few of the apartment kids were swimming and splashing behind her. "Caroline was in a bad mood the whole trip. I think Charles liked it fine."

"Don't. It's less painful if I look at it this way. If I think that it could have been more...no. It was-"

"Hang on. When did you even speak to Caroline again? Was it after the party?"

"She texted me yesterday. She asked if I could mail her some earrings she left in the bathroom."

Elena huffed. "Charles gave her your number?"

"I don't mind that part. She is his sister after all. She even...apologized."

"For what? Being a total-"

"No, for Charles. She hopes I won't be hurt if he doesn't text again. She says he's always amazingly busy during the summer session."

"So, he didn't tell her about us?"

"I don't think so. She was worried about _me_. She must not have known about the awful email."

Elena almost snorted. Caroline wasn't at all worried about Noa. Caroline was giving her a less than gentle hint not to expect a return visit.

Elena was torn. She wanted to reassure Noa that Charles had genuinely liked her...but what good did that do at this point? He was gone.

Noa continued, trying to sound more cheerful, "Oh. Gigi texted me too. She asked for your number."

Elena reluctantly explained the job, hoping it wouldn't make Noa feel worse. It did seem unfair that their roles had suddenly switched. Noa was completely cut off and Elena was the one who would continue the relationship.

Noa scolded her. "I can hear in your voice that you're excited. It's okay. Be excited. This is a big deal for you. I can handle it. I'm only glad that my mess hasn't ruined this for you."

Elena sighed. The sad thing was that Noa truly _was_ that selfless. Darn Charles for getting her hopes up.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hi there! Thanks for reading along. :-)**

Elena found Gigi's address on a narrow, curvy road that barely seemed wide enough for her truck. She knew it would be gated, but she was a little relieved to see that it wasn't a mansion. Through the wrought-iron gate, she saw an emerald green lawn spread like carpet to a small two-story house. While the house itself was modest in comparison to the neighborhood- probably four bedrooms at most-the lawn looked opulent to Elena. All summer there'd been a state campaign to encourage drastic (and necessary) water saving. The motto was 'Gold is the new green." In other words, let your lawn die or change it out. When Elena had called the Department of Water and Power to check on a bill, the third option was to report illegal water usage. She wondered if Gigi's brother, like a few other celebrities, was buying water on the down-low. She would not put it past Darcy.

Elena was a little dubious about coming to Darcy's house, but she was only there at Gigi's invitation. Hopefully she could avoid Darcy altogether—he was such an aggravating man. If Elena ended up telling him off, it would probably put a damper on her job with Gigi.

Elena pressed the code Gigi had given her, and the gate slid open.

Elena edged up the long white driveway and parked her truck next to the house. A garage was tucked away behind it, and Elena hoped she wasn't blocking anyone (mainly Darcy) in.

Gigi opened a side door in the house and came down the brick steps. She wore black work-out clothes and her long brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun. "Hi, thanks for coming all this way."

"Of course! You look like you're ready to work out."

"I went ahead and worked out this morning, since this is more of a consultation." She invited Elena in through the kitchen and paused to get a drink of water.

Elena couldn't help scoping out what little was visible of the dining and living room, and was thankful not to spot Darcy.

Most likely, even if he was here, he had a home office and wouldn't be parked in the common areas the way he had been in the cabin.

"So Gigi, what kind of fitness goals do you have?" Elena asked. She hoped Gigi wouldn't say weight loss. Gigi _did_ look as though she'd gained some weight since that red-carpet photo Valerie had pulled up, but she looked healthier now. It would be hard to help her lose it-but if Gigi needed to, for whatever reason-maybe Elena could help her do it carefully.

"Strength-training, for sure, and also cardio. I have at least two performances this summer, and those are exhausting. I'm totally out of shape."

"I've always been amazed by these artists who dance and sing for several hours," Elena agreed.

"Yeah, exactly. You need breath control for the singing, but if you're huffing and puffing from the lights and the stairs, let alone dancing...it doesn't sound too good. Come on up." Gigi led her through a very masculine living room dominated by a large screen TV and fireplace, and up to the second floor.

"Darcy had this bedroom converted to a workout room for me."

"It looks great. Have you had personal training here before?" Elena was glad to see that the room was large, with plenty of matte space, some free weights, and only one big piece of equipment, a treadmill.

Two windows let in a lot of light, and there was one, moderately-sized, mirror in the room. Two discrete speakers in the ceiling hinted at a sound system. As home gyms went, it was pretty perfect.

"Yeah," Gigi said slowly. "That trainer...we don't work together anymore."

"Okay." There was an odd tone there, but it wasn't any of Elena's business. "But you're familiar with the idea, that helps. Do you have any other particular goals with this? Areas you want to work on, sports you want to try?"

Gigi laughed. "I'm not much into sports. Well, dancing, of course. But I'm not about to take up surfing or basketball. Darcy tells me you ski?"

Elena blinked. Had she told him that? Oh, yes, at dinner before her car broke down. Elena shook her head. "Well, I haven't skied in years, but hopefully I'll be in good enough shape to pick it up again someday when I have the chance." Elena went into her short spiel about ways to alternate upper and lower body work with cardio. Push and pull, squats and weights... Gigi didn't seem to have any issues or suggestions, though Elena kept asking if she had preferences. Eventually Elena went ahead and walked her through a first round of exercises.

"You seem familiar with most of this," Elena commented as Gigi tried the next exercise.

"Yeah, at the Center..." Gig paused. "I've been at a rehab center for several months. I had weekly appointments with a trainer. She had me do Mason twists and planks and most of these things." Gigi breathed in and out correctly as she squatted. After ten reps, she stopped and wiped a few wisps of hair off her forehead.

"My rehab hasn't been publicized yet," she added. "I just finished a few weeks ago."

"Oh." Elena wasn't sure what to say. Was it drinking or drugs? Or both? Should she reassure Gigi that she wouldn't tell anyone? Congratulate Gigi on getting clean?

"Yeah. I wanted to get set up with a trainer right away in LA," Gigi continued. "They say the endorphins help you stay clean. In fact, I was hoping to have training twice a week. I even called the gym, when I was filling out the paperwork for a consult, and they said that would be fine, but they couldn't guarantee it would be you."

That sort of explained why Gigi had called Elena so quickly, but not why she didn't go to someone else. It wasn't any of Elena's business though.

"I'm glad you called me," Elena said firmly. "And if this mini-work out today felt okay to you, I'd be thrilled to come out twice a week. At least during the summer."

"Awesome." Gigi smiled widely. "You don't know how relieved I am. My last trainer was...well, he was one of my suppliers. So I couldn't face having him back. I needed to find somebody else, but it's so hard to read people over the phone, or even at a gym. I was dreading the process." She led Elena back downstairs and got them both a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Thanks." Elena drank deeply. If Gigi was trying to avoid drugs, that might explain why she didn't go to her friends for recommendations for a trainer. "You mentioned you have two performances this summer?"

Gigi nodded. "That's right. A benefit at the Getty Museum in July, and three nights at the Hollywood Bowl in in two weeks. It's a Disney-showcase thing, so I only have a few songs in it."

"Wow. I've never been to the Bowl, but I hear it's amazing."

"Never? You should come! I can give you one of my box tickets. I have a bunch extra."

"No, that's okay, I wasn't fishing for a ticket. That's exciting for you though."

"Really, I hope you'll come. I'll send you the dates and you tell me when you can make it. Charles and Caroline will be in town, too. I've already given tickets to them."

Elena paused. Didn't Gigi know that made it worse? Clearly Charles was being very quiet about his breakup with Noa. It felt rude to give a flat no, so Elena tried to give a noncommittal thanks. She didn't want Gigi to feel like she had to include Elena, and Elena was POSITIVE that she didn't want to spend the evening in a small space with Darcy and Charles and Caroline.

Gigi reluctantly followed Elena out to her car when Elena insisted she had to go or risk missing the whole evening rush at the gym.

Gigi was lonely, Elena realized. And for whatever strange reason, she'd decided that Elena was safe. That they should be friends.

Elena liked Gigi, and she couldn't help reveling in the celebrity atmosphere of it all, but it was sad to realize how little she could actually help the younger girl. So far Gigi had made all the overtures, the least Elena could do was offer a little more.

"Maybe we could hang out later this week," Elena said, feeling awkward. "Watch a movie or get coffee or something." What did girls like Gigi do for fun? Besides drugs, obviously.

"No, no, its fine. I'm sure you're crazy busy. Isn't everybody in LA?" Gigi must have sensed Elena's awkwardness, or realized her own vulnerability. She'd retreated fast.

Elena paused by her car. She didn't want to leave with things like this, but she wasn't sure how to fix it.

"It really would be fun to hang out-" she started to say.

But a car was pulling in the driveway, and the gate was opening. To Elena's displeasure, she could see Darcy behind the wheel.

He pulled slowly up the longish driveway while Gigi and Elena watched.

For real, could he drive any slower?

#

Darcy tried to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. Elena was here, in his driveway. Her big rusty truck was probably leaving oil stains on the driveway.

Why was she here? His immediate suspicion: that Elena had taken advantage of the party and wrangled an invitation from Gigi, died almost as soon as he had it. He was protective of Gigi, and knew she suffered from more than her fair share of pseudo-friends, but Elena didn't seem the type. And whatever had happened with Charles and Noa-Darcy still wasn't sure-hadn't made Charles think any less of them.

In fact, as Darcy parked and studied Gigi's face, she looked distinctly guilty. Like he'd caught her having ice cream at midnight. Clearly she had done the inviting.

He exited his car slowly, still trying to think how he should behave. Gigi immediately hugged him. "Guess what? I already found a new personal trainer! Isn't that great?"

Elena's mouth opened soundlessly for a moment. "You didn't tell your brother?"

Darcy met Elena's eyes over his sister's back and couldn't help but smile, both at her wary expression and at how happy Gigi sounded. "She told me she had a consultation today, but not who it was," he said.

"He's been so busy," Gigi explained, leading him away from the safety of his car. "I've hardly had the chance. Isn't it perfect that Elena can do it?"

Darcy smiled. "Of course."

Except it wasn't. He LIKED Elena, and he'd been relieved when their paths parted. His attraction to her made no sense and he was happy to have it behind him. He'd been even more relieved when Charles had said that things were probably over between him and Noa. Darcy had encouraged his friend that it was for the best. Darcy certainly believed it in his own case.

Now she was here, standing in his driveway, practically glowing in the afternoon light.

She smiled at him and he almost stumbled.

"Sorry I blocked the garage. I'm just leaving if you want to pull in."

She put her hand on the truck door and he had the irrational impulse to prolong her stay.

"Not at all. Did you and Gigi have a good first consult?"

"I hope so, but she'll have to tell you. I need to get back to the gym."

Darcy stuck out his hand before he could think better of it. Elena didn't hesitate to give a firm shake, and he resisted the impulse to hold onto her hand for an extra second. "Have a safe drive." Darcy fell back on formality when he was unsure.

Elena nodded and slipped into her truck, waving goodbye to the two of them.

Gigi smacked his shoulder when Elena was out of sight. "You were so stiff. Like you didn't even remember her."

"Of course I remember her. We saw her last week."

She shook her head, "And you're half an hour late for our date."

"I had a fire to put out. Besides, you had company."

"I like her a lot."

"I'm glad. She seems like an honest person."

"That's it? Honest?"

"What are you aiming for with this, squirt? She's not my type."

Gigi shrugged. "Who said anything about your type? It's not all about YOU, Darce."

Darcy laughed and Gigi joined in. It was only funny because it was sad. Their mother wasn't very good at balance, so she tended to focus obsessively on one of them at a time. And when the time came for her to pivot-like when Gigi confessed her coke addiction, or Darcy got invited to the RNC committee, she usually signaled it with an, "it's not all about you," comment to the other.

It had been _all about Gigi_ for some time now, and she was ready for it to switch. Gigi went to shower and change for their outing, and he went to his room to change out of his suit. He paused by the work-out room, picturing Elena and Gigi in there.

It would be wonderful for Gigi to have a friend like her, open and fun. He could put aside his own stupid reactions to be happy for his sister.

Of course, it was always dangerous to confuse employee/employer relationships with friendship. He would have to warn Gigi. Even with the best of intentions on both sides, financial considerations could make things go badly. But Elena had hit the line perfectly during their vacation- almost effortlessly- despite Noa and Charles dating and Caroline's negative attitude. That had been a trying situation for Elena, no doubt, and yet she'd never been anything but professional and up front. He smiled. Even when she'd argued with him, she'd never gotten that look he saw in so many eyes. The calculation. How was this going, what did Darcy think of her, how much more could she get?

He saw it in nearly everyone around Gigi-her job was a hundred times worse than his for that kind of thing-and he was inclined to think that Elena would be an excellent antidote.

And it was important that Gigi have a few regular activities to look forward to. He'd been shocked when he came back last year and found her-eyes bloodshot, runny nose, jittery and scared. He was more proud of her than he could say for confessing to her addiction and voluntarily curtailing her career to go to rehab.

She was determined not to relapse, but he'd been afraid of all the empty hours she'd have this summer. Now at least a few of those were filled.

Maybe he could avoid Elena, but still let Gigi enjoy her.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello! I'm back! Making a bunch of changes, but also... I finished this novel during November Nanowrimo! It has an ending! I was really afraid Darcy and Elena were not going to make it for a while there. Onward- no fear!**

Elena spent the next few days avoiding Carl (a/n: formerly Carlos) as best she could, getting cheery (fake) texts from Noa, and texting with Wick. They had trouble aligning their schedules, as he seemed busy at night and Elena was picking up as many hours as she could at the gym, but he was funny in texts and it was fun to have somebody else to chat with.

Noa was being upbeat, but she'd confirmed that Charles hadn't emailed or texted or called again. Noa had sent a simple thank you to the first email, explaining that she had not intended to ask for his help, and that she'd a had a lovely time with him.

Elena had hoped, in her heart of hearts, that Charles might call Noa this week-even if it was just to end their brief relationship a little more personally, but no.

She understood that it was an awkward situation for Charles, and she still blamed her mom for most of it. But, really, he had to find out about Noa eventually. If he wouldn't even bother to call Noa and end it, he didn't deserve her time.

But it was hard for Noa. She was generally content with her life—more so that Elena would have been in her shoes. Yes, she wished she was fully legal-a citizen-but she tended to take life as it came.

A few weeks ago, Noa's attitude bugged her to no end. Now that Noa was having a serious case of _what ifs,_ Elena could only hope her sister would return to that attitude.

This brief glimpse into what her life might have been if she was the kind of woman Charles would be comfortable dating was a blow. Some of this Elena had learned from Valerie, who'd described Noa's depression with much more extreme adjectives. Reading between the lines of Valerie's exclamations and Noa's texts, Elena knew her sister was suffering.

Valerie had mostly wanted to talk about Wick and speculate on when Elena would go on a date with him. Elena shut that down fast.

She hadn't told Valerie or Wick that she would be working for Gigi. It just seemed too weird.

When the next appointment with Gigi came around, Elena was relieved to see that Darcy's car was not in the driveway, or in the open garage where an old Hispanic guy was scrubbing a tiny oil stain on the white concrete.

Gigi bounced out of the house to greet her, and Elena gave her an impulsive hug. Gigi smiled. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

Gigi spun her hair into a bun as they went upstairs. "Oh. You didn't reply to my text yet-do you know which day you can come to the Hollywood Bowl? I have a morning rehearsal next week."

"Right...I'm sorry. I've been so busy with my sisters the last few days I forgot to reply to you." Elena hadn't even looked at the concert dates, since she didn't want to go, but she _had_ meant to reply.

It would be much harder to say no to Gigi in person. "Um... Okay, here's the thing: I don't want to intrude on your family." Elena felt she had to be at least somewhat truthful, so she wouldn't wound Gigi. "Especially since you said Charles and Caroline are going to be there."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I just heard yesterday." She rushed on. "You don't have to come the same night as them. I mean, I asked Caroline and she said Charles and Noa weren't... anymore..."

"No, I don't think they are." Elena went over to the weight rack and pulled out several sets for them to use. She was actually quite curious what Caroline had said, but wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"I'm sorry," Gigi repeated. "Charles is...he's really nice, but he changes his mind a lot."

Gigi just thought Charles lost interest in Noa, which was probably for the best. Better that she pity Noa for disappointment than being a 'dreamer.'

"Why don't we get started with some simple jumping jacks to warm up?" Elena said.

Gigi blinked. "Sure. I just wanted to say... Caroline and Charles are coming to the concert on Friday." She smiled, a stubborn smile. "So you could come Saturday or Sunday."

And what about Darcy? Could she avoid him? Elena threw up her hands. "You're not going to work out until I agree, are you? Okay, okay. I'll come. Thank you for the ticket."

"Great!" Gigi clapped her hands.

Elena led Gigi through a double round of sixteen exercises, and they were both nicely tired by the time they finished. Elena didn't do every exercise with Gigi, but she always wanted to show appropriate posture and technique, so she ended up doing quite a bit.

When they were in the kitchen cooling off, Elena heard a car door slam.

"That'll be Fitz," Gigi explained, as a brief knock on the side door was followed by it opening. "He's my manager."

Fitz was a rather short, sandy-haired man, who immediately offered his hand and a warm smile to Elena.

"I hear you're on Team Gigi now. Glad to meet you."

Was he one of those people keeping Gigi in the limelight? Elena wondered. "Likewise," she said. "Gigi's been twisting my arm to come to one of her Bowl concerts."

"You should. Word to the wise-come on Sunday. The parking's better and Gigi's mother-ahem, wonderful, decisive woman that she is-comes on Saturday."

Gigi grinned at him. "You're just saying that because you'll be there Sunday."

"Quite right. I need company. I'll be lonely in that box by myself all evening. I can induct Elena into the wonders of being part of an entourage."

Gigi glared at him. "No entourage. You're not going to hire a bunch of those girls again. That was so awkward."

"I already admitted that was a mistake." He winked at Elena. "Temperamental artists. It's all about keeping the talent happy."

Elena grinned. "Lucky she's pretty easy to please then."

Fitz's smile faltered for just a second, and then came back. "Absolutely. I have the easiest job in the world."

Gigi squeezed his wrist. It was easy to see they were close. They had an easy brother-sister camaraderie that frankly looked more relaxed than Gigi's demeanor with her real brother.

Elena's gut reaction was that Fitz was one of the good guys in Gigi's life.

"Sunday it is," Elena confirmed. "I'll try to meet you there, but if I don't show, send a search party to the parking lots. I hear you can wander for days."

Fitz nodded. "Its safest to bring a compass, a filter for purifying ditch water, maybe a tent if you can manage it."

Gigi frowned. "I'm sorry, Elena. I wish you could drive with me, but I have to be there hours early and you probably have to work."

"No, it's fine! I'm just being silly. I can get there on my own, and now I can look forward to hanging out with Fitz."

"My pleasure," he said.

Gigi's phone buzzed and she grabbed it off the counter, frowning again. "It's my mother, I better get it."

She waved goodbye to Elena and went to the living room. "Hi, Mom..."

Fitz studied Elena. "I heard about you from Gigi. You're smaller than I expected."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "What does that mean?"

"The way she described you-I don't know-I guess I expected an Amazon. Capable of anything. Lifting small cars with your bare hands, that kind of thing."

"Really? That's odd. I mean, we've only worked out together once and I'm not that strong..."

"Something at Charles' birthday party?" he suggested. "And facing off against Caroline?"

Elena chuckled in surprise. "I told off some guys bugging Gigi at that party, but it wasn't much. And Caroline...I guess you know her?"

He waved a hand. "We've been friends for years, but I'm not sure she'd recognize me on sight."

"Ah. Yeah. I get that." Elena was curious what _he_ thought of Caroline and Darcy, but it probably wasn't any of her business.

"Can I walk you out?" Fitz said. "I don't want to make you late."

They stood talking by her truck for a moment and Elena felt a disgruntled sense of deja vu when Darcy's car pulled in again.

Why couldn't she just leave on time, darn it! And why couldn't he get home at six or seven at night like a normal businessman?

Elena waited till he pulled past and then jumped up into her truck. "I gotta run! Nice to meet you."

She closed the door firmly and backed out of the driveway before the gate even shut.

#

Darcy seriously feared Elena might hit the fence, she pulled out so hastily. Was her job that precarious that she was terrified of being late? He was envisioning her darting anxiously through traffic and becoming concerned before he caught himself.

It was none of his business what she did. And he shouldn't even be here at this time of day, since he knew he might overlap with her visit.

Fitz raised a hand to acknowledge Darcy. They were close friends. Darcy didn't think he could let anybody have so much control over his sister's life and schedule unless they were friends.

Fitz was balanced, loyal, and treated Gigi as a sister. In the entertainment industry, that was a trifecta of miracles. He also knew that Fitz had been out of the country when Gigi's drug use spiraled out of control, and that he'd felt responsible for weeks. Fitz didn't want her to quit music, but he wasn't pressuring her about it.

Fitz gestured with his head toward the sound of Elena's retreating vehicle. "What did you do to her? She dove into her truck to avoid you."

"I don't know." Darcy felt struck. Did Elena avoid him? He'd never had that impression. But if she was, could it possibly be for the same reason he was avoiding her?

Fitz laughed. "Lighten up, I was joking."

Darcy shrugged. "I don't know her well. She doesn't have any reason to wait." He was trying to convince himself as well as Fitz. Because if Darcy indulged the thought that Elena was avoiding him because she was attracted to him, he would be very much closer to the cliff of stupidity he'd been toeing lately. But why would she avoid him, if that were the case? It made sense-to put it bluntly- for him to avoid dating her, but not the other way around. Then again, he'd not given her much reason to think he liked her, other than talking to her at Charles' party. Perhaps she was only taking her cue from him.

"I'll see her on Sunday at the concert," Fitz said. "I admit, I'm looking forward to it significantly more now."

Darcy followed Fitz inside, conscious of his intense frown. Was it possible that he was jealous of Fitz?

How immature. Just because Fitz would get to spend hours in the lower tier of the Hollywood Bowl with Elena, talking during the breaks and probably laughing together about the tween atmosphere of the Disney showcase. Just because there was no reason Fitz couldn't ask her out again, while Darcy had so many liabilities to consider with whoever he might end up with...

Darcy dropped his briefcase on the floor more roughly than he intended.

"You alright?" Fitz inquired. "You don't look at all rested considering you just came off vacation."

"I know," Darcy replied stiffly. "The trip was far more trouble than it was worth."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I posted two chapter today - so if you're just getting here (december 3), back up one and read that too!**

When Elena got home from the gym that night, her hair still wet from swimming a few laps and showering off, the courtyard was full of people. She slammed the truck door shut as she combed her wet hair with her fingers.

Lots of families were grilling, taking turns with the three big gas grills, and a crowd of little kids rode in a herd of tricycles and bikes around the tables. Some teenage boys played a rowdy game in the deep end of the pool, and as she watched, four little girls in swimsuits and puddle-jumpers held hands and jumped into the shallow end. Mariachi music played from a speaker at the far end of the courtyard, competing with a radio from a nearby apartment.

Elena's made her way to the stairs, but her stomach growled at the smell of roasting chicken.

"Ana, that smells good. Huele bien," she told her neighbor, who was removing chicken legs from the grill with a fork.

"Esta lista. Come have some."

Elena rather wanted to take Ana up on the offer. But did they have enough for their family? She eyed the amount.

"You come," Ana commanded. "Hold this."

She handed the platter to Elena, who obediently held it while Ana piled it high.

"Okay. Thank you," Elena said.

Ana asked about her father and mother and sisters—they'd met when she moved in. Everybody knew everything in their apartment complex. It was like a mini-village in that way. Front doors were opened to the courtyard and the Friday and Saturday (and often Sunday night) dinners were often like block parties.

Only one apartment door on this level was shut. The only white family in this part of the complex lived there. They were friendly—at least Elena found them so when she met them doing laundry or taking out trash—but they were very private. Usually their blinds were drawn and the apartment kids knew not to wander into their apartment as they were accustomed to doing in most of the other ground level apartments.

Elena carried the platter to one of the concrete tables where Ana's husband waited, holding their baby daughter. He yelled for their other kids to get out of the pool and Ana said a quick blessing when they came.

"This is delicious," Elena said, after a few bites. "I am so hungry."

Ana smiled. The kids chatted about the end of school. Ana's husband asked how her job was going and she told them a little about Gigi, without mentioning her name.

Elena wondered what Gigi was doing for dinner tonight. She'd mentioned her brother was leaving town tonight. Did she just eat alone when he was gone? Gigi didn't know her neighbors, she'd mentioned that on Monday. With everybody behind their own gates, Elena didn't see how she would get to know them at all.

It was a shame Gigi couldn't live somewhere more like this- where being alone was a conscious choice rather than a default.

Of course, a lot of people wanted more privacy. There was a South Korean family in the front building that was also a bit standoffish. Friendly, but definitely wanted their own space.

Elena could see both sides of it. Growing up with her family in a similar set up to this, she was comfortable with the community feel. But...now that she'd lived alone with a white roommate for a while, she was starting to understand the flip side. She didn't feel any anxiety about walking through the courtyard, but her roommate had said sometimes she felt trapped knowing that she couldn't take out her garbage without risking conversation. "Sometimes I just want to do my laundry and not have to talk, you know?"

"So just say that," Elena told her.

"It sounds so rude, like I don't want to be friends. But sometimes I just want to be alone."

Elena tipped her head, trying to understand the problem from her friend's perspective. "So you _do_ want to be friends, but you don't want to talk?"

"It's just...they're always there. If they're basically strangers, it doesn't feel so intrusive. But I feel like if I make friends, then I'll never be alone again. So I have to keep my distance." She groaned. "You think I'm crazy don't you? If we weren't all on top of each other, I think it'd be easier to be friendly."

"But isn't it better to be surrounded by friends than strangers? What's so wonderful about being alone?"

Keri moaned. "Everything."

Elena shook her head. "You're so white."

Keri laughed. "You're so not."

They'd been roommates for three years, and Elena was lucky to have her. She and Elena didn't have much in common in background or personality, except for both being forthright and loving to laugh.

As they finished their meal, Elena offered to go get some fruit for dessert. She ran upstairs and chopped a cantaloupe and dumped some canned fruit on it. Boom, fruit salad.

She grabbed some plastic cups and a big spoon and went back down.

Keri probably would have freaked out a little about that, too. She was generous and everything, but wanted to do it just right, and to have time to prepare. Keri was not spontaneous.

Elena was. So when Wick texted Elena later that night and asked if she wanted to protest Trump's rally in San Diego the next day, Elena immediately said yes. Perhaps it was a reaction against Darcy's smug face, or her heightened frustration on Noa's behalf, or a bit of guilt as she moved further into the upscale white world, but she welcomed the idea with relief.

Elena picked him up at his place in Pasadena early the next morning. She was glad that he didn't stand on gender norms and expect to drive. And even though he seemed like a great guy, it was probably best to be on the safe side and drive her own car. She could feel comfortably safe and virtuous about the entire trip now.

She did halfway wonder whether she was more interested in having a day with Wick than protesting Trump, but she didn't examine her motivation too closely.

He came out from a nice four-unit building when she texted. She was rather impressed- it was much nicer than her own apartment. Wick must not be doing too bad, despite Darcy getting him fired last year.

"Hey beautiful, thanks for the ride." Wick kissed her cheek, casual and classy despite how tired he looked, and Elena smiled as she pulled back into the road. He'd brought his nice camera with him, and placed it gently in his lap.

"Absolutely. Is that—" She did a double take of his face. "Are you okay? Your eyes look really red."

He rubbed his eyes hard, "Yeah, no doubt. I got some pepper spray in them on Wednesday and they're still pretty irritated."

"Pepper spray? Were you at the Anaheim rally?" Elena had seen that several protesters were arrested after things got ugly.

"I was. You've gotta see some of the photos I got yesterday." He yawned hugely and winced, pressing his temples. "Ugh, headache. Sorry. I'm not a morning person."

"You don't have to apologize for that," Elena said. "Tell me about Wednesday. It sounded like some of the protesters went overboard, burning stuff and getting violent."

"Nah, it was one trashcan." He saw her frown and elaborated. "Bad idea, obviously, but it wasn't a riot. With my situation," he said slowly, "surely you can understand if I sympathize with them?"

"Of course. I'm sorry." Elena merged onto the highway, fighting the Friday morning traffic. "I do, too. I mean, I know how scary it is to know that your family isn't safe. To weigh doctor visits against deportation. But I think our best chance is to show our—our citizenship, you know? Prove the stereotypes wrong. That we're not criminals and violent gang-members, you know?

"I get that," he said. "But when I think about my uncle getting arrested at church...and my aunt crying at every family function since Darcy attacked us... it's hard. My family sometimes even blames _me_ , since I was the one who brought him down on us."

"I'm so sorry," Elena said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I don't blame my family for it," Wick said nobly, "they need a scapegoat sometimes—someone within reach. But it's not easy to live with."

"Of course not." Elena felt a bit uncomfortable that she still hadn't told him that she worked for Gigi. It seemed dishonest now. Elena took a deep breath. "I so don't want to make you feel worse, but I think I have to tell you about a new client I got."

She filled him in, and to her great relief, he took it extremely well. Better than well.

He laughed quite a bit. "So you're in Darcy's world during the week, and protesting Trump with me today? I love it. We'll bleed them dry from both directions."

Elena was relieved, but also a little tense. "Gigi is a good client. I'm lucky to have her."

"Oh, for sure," he easily agreed. "One of the sweetest, most clueless girls in the world. I don't blame her for that though. I know Darcy doesn't tell her anything."

Elena didn't love the way he talked about Gigi, but tried to make allowances for his justifiable bitterness.

The drive to San Diego was about four hours, and Wick had time to explain the full, sordid story of Darcy's payback. How Darcy had undermined Wick with his coworkers and supervisor, and with his academic advisor. How Darcy had banned him from the house after he broke up with Gigi, so he never even got to explain and get closure with her. "It must have hurt her worse," he said sadly. "He made her change her phone number so I couldn't even text. He's incredibly controlling. Even when Gigi and I were happily dating, he was always checking up on me. And the questions! What were our travel plans? Why was I there? Why was I not there? Had I talked to this magazine or that reporter?" Wick took a breath. "He guards her image more closely than his precious candidates, and that's saying something. If only he cared that much about _her_ , instead of her image."

Elena thought about the recent drug rehab. Was Gigi choosing to keep it quiet, or was Darcy enforcing secrecy? Not that Elena felt Gigi had to blab it all out, but some people found it helpful to share their struggles. Elena wouldn't be surprised to learn that Darcy didn't care about that aspect of his sister's psyche. "I haven't experienced his controlling, I'm nobody to him, but it totally jives with what I've seen."

"Watch out," he warned her seriously. "He sucks people in, until they don't realize they're taking his every word as Gospel."

Elena laughed. "I am _not_ in danger of that. No worries. I don't even want to be in his circle. I want him as far from Noa and my parents as possible."

It was her turn to fill him in on Charles and Noa's quiet implosion, while they drove the final forty mile stretch beside the ocean.

Wick gave her the address and they found it, after navigating the one-way warren of the Gaslamp district. Elena found a parking garage above a grocery store. "This is good," she said. "If we buy food, we'll get a few free hours."

"Smart and economical," Wick complimented. He wrapped an arm around her as they exited. Elena couldn't help her grin as several women passed the other way, totally checking him out. For once, Elena was with the hot guy.


	19. Chapter 19

Elena had actually only been to two Trump protests, but she'd learned that it was wise to scope out the crowd. Some groups—you could tell just by watching a few minutes—were _angry_. Everybody there was angry, of course. Happy and perfectly contented people didn't need to protest. But there was a difference between the settled outrage she felt about Trump's bashing people of color, his racism and misogyny, and the red-hot rage some of the protesters acted on. And frankly, some of them were just stupid. And while Elena understood where the anger was coming from, she had no desire to get caught up in a moment of violence or to get pepper sprayed by the police.

Unfortunately, Wick didn't feel that way. Or maybe he didn't notice. But when they came to the crowds, straggly on the edges but already getting packed in the center along the main street that was cordoned off, he kept pushing forward when she would have stopped.

The crowd was a physics lesson in action- the people on the edge were spread out and moving freely, gas molecules perhaps, free nitrogen. A little further in and the particles had less room to move. Still, they flowed back and forth, liquid nitrogen. Then there was the packed center, where the molecules vibrated with anger yet were packed so tightly as to form a sort of solid. Nonetheless volatile for being almost immovable.

Wick kept pushing in, occasionally raising his camera to get a picture.

Elbows and shoulders jostled Elena as she followed him. The corner of a heavy sign dipped and scratched her shoulder. Elena yelped involuntarily.

The protest had not solidified around a single phrase or chant, and so a cacophony of shouts ebbed and flowed. It lessened as Wick worked out a place for them against one of the long piecemeal barriers. The barrier prevented them from entering the walkway used by those attending the rally.

Policemen with helmets, faceplates, and body armor made a second barrier. A stream of rally-goers walked up the long concrete path together, and the shouting intensified once more. Something flew past Elena—trash, she thought—and hit the pavement by a policeman. Several pro-Trumpers began to yell at the guy next to her, taunting him that he'd missed. One man in particular, shaved head shining in the sunlight, shouted racist slurs at them, holding his arms open to make a bigger target. More trash flew and Elena wanted to scream at the guys to stop it. They were playing right into his hands, looking like the violent, uncontrolled rabble Trump said they were. She was also, and not ashamed of it, physically uncomfortable being on the brink of the fight.

"There was a bit of a thing in Anaheim on Wednesday, at Trump's last rally," Wick said, leaning down to speak in her ear so she could hear him. "That's why the police already have their riot gear on."

Elena tried to hide her uneasiness. The immediate group around them already seemed worked to a fever pitch, and the rally was still hours away.

A man holding a sign with a picture of a hand flipping off Trump stepped sideways onto her foot and Elena grunted. Wick gave a sympathetic wince and pulled her in front of him, putting her between him and the waist-high metal barrier. He wrapped his arms around her, and set his hands on the bar. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Elena still felt uncomfortable. News people with big cameras were focusing on the screaming exchange. Phones and cameras were everywhere, recording.

The police moved their cordon closer to the anti-Trump crowd and Elena was relieved to see the angriest pro-Trump guy walk on.

Another crowd of attendees streamed up the path from the parking area and Elena braced herself for more vitriol. They were so close, she distracted herself from her anxiety by checking out the women's shoes. This group was nicely dressed, very nice, and as Elena's eyes rose, she was shocked to lock gazes with Caroline Lee.

Caroline had been disdainfully skimming the signs of the protesters, ignoring a few loudly yelled obscenities, but her mouth opened slightly when she recognized Elena. Her gaze flickered to Wick and back to Elena and she smiled. It was the worst expression Elena had ever seen on her face.

Elena shrugged slightly, and Caroline paused, only a few feet away.

"Nice to see you again," she said loudly. "Have you seen Charles or Darcy yet? They arrived earlier."

Elena shook her head, not liking the attention this was drawing to her.

"I'll say hello for you, shall I?" Caroline continued maliciously. Her companions were urging her forward, as more expletives emerged from the general rumble. "I'm surprised Noa isn't here," she added over her shoulder as she continued. "As she has so much more at stake."

Caroline strode away, her arms linked with several high-powered ladies, who immediately began whispering to her, probably getting the whole story.

Elena felt like she'd been punched in the gut. The crush of people behind her, even Wick's strong arms, made her feel breathless and trapped.

Caroline clearly knew about Noa, which meant Charles had spilled it to her. And if she knew, Darcy must, too. Caroline would never keep something that juicy to herself.

Elena didn't care if Darcy fired her from training Giana, but she did care that Noa's precarious position had been bared and discussed in their little clique. It felt like a violation.

Hearing Caroline throw her name out there so casually...Elena almost shivered with anger.

Wick squeezed her arms. She thought he might say something comforting, but he just called Caroline a bad name.

Normally Elena would have some harsh words for his usage, but it wasn't far from how she felt, even if she would never have put it that way.

Would they see Gigi coming up that path soon? Elena groaned at the thought. She liked Gigi but how much conflict could their slight friendship withstand?

Would Gigi even go to a Trump rally? As a celebrity endorsement? Elena thought better of her than that, but if her brother was here too...

It was such a mess.

Thankfully, Elena remembered that Giana's rehearsal was today. At least they would be spared that awkward meeting.

Wick leaned forward again, this time trading names and info with the guy next to her. Elena was not liking being pressed up against him for so long, but there wasn't room to do much else.

She was relieved when Wick pulled his camera out again, and started snapping. After a few minutes, he asked if she'd mind moving to another spot where he could get a shot down the length of the barrier. Elena was only too happy to agree.

She let Wick get ahead of her and stopped next to a group of students. "Nice signs," Elena said. Some were on the back of cereal boxes, one on a bed sheet. Most were a little silly - "There'll be hell toupee", "We will overcomb," But others were more serious, "Defend DACA," "Dreaming is American."

"I've got a corner free," one girl said. Elena had completely lost sight of Wick now, so she grabbed the corner of the bed sheet and took a spot with them.

They swapped stories and recent news. This was the part Elena liked. Meeting new people who she immediately connected with. People who understood the ebb and flow of anxiety in an immigrant family. The painful disillusionment of friends who didn't understand the backlash against Trump. As if categorizing a whole populace as rapists and criminals was a throwaway comment.

Elena was a little bummed when her phone buzzed an hour or so later, Wick texting her to figure out where to meet up. Elena waved goodbye to her new friends.

Wick was eager to show her his best photos, and she was happy to agree they were good. The best was a profile shot of an tiny Latina lady, her wrinkles in sharp relief against the black background of policeman's vest. He was sneering.

"Wow," Elena said. "That's an amazing shot. I bet you could sell it to a magazine or news site."

"Thanks. I often do, as a matter of fact. Not for the money, of course, but to document the movement. An image is worth a thousand words, and all that."

Elena nodded, still studying the picture. The woman looked so dignified. The policeman so disgusted.

She hadn't seen any of the police making faces like this when she was nearby. They'd been extremely stoic... "How did you manage to catch this? Was it just a passing expression?"

Wick shrugged. "Oh, I made sure I had his attention so his eyes would be forward."

"How?"

"Does it matter? I may have made a rude gesture or two," Wick laughed. "But believe me, he had that look on his face before I got there and he probably still does."

Elena handed the camera back.

"Come on," Wick coaxed, "don't judge me. We need pictures like this to make the point. I mean, it may have been somewhat contrived, but LOOK at it. This kind of thing gets people's attention. I would think you would get that."

"I do... I mean, I understand that a lot of the best 'snapshots,'" she used air quotes with her fingers, "are actually staged. But...I have trouble with the staging."

Wick looked hurt and Elena felt like a jerk. "Sorry. With your family being torn apart last year, you have more right than I do to be upset."

Did he have the right to do this kind of thing though? Elena wasn't sure. Surely there were enough honest photos to be taken that would also grab people's attention.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Phew, I had to evacuate quickly from my house last week and stay out for three days due to raging wildfires. (I live in Los Angeles, California). Then I realized the only compiled copy of most of my stories was on my hard drive at home! Back up your stories!**

 **Thankfully for my neighbors and I, the firemen were able to stop the fire at a road about half a block from my neighborhood. Unfortunately, many have lost houses (and many horses) in my area, though I praise God that we all had at least a few minutes of warning to leave. Life is precarious, as I'm sure many of you know. Make sure you know what yours is all about. - Corrie**

When the rally finally ended, Elena was relieved. She just wanted to see this through and then go home. She was sunburned and footsore and a bit out of patience with Wick.

She was by the barrier again, but further away from the convention center and not quite so claustrophobically placed. Elena shifted from foot to foot, feeling a blister on her heel. Wick was not far, closer to the intersection. She was fairly certain he was taunting the pro-Trumpers as they left and Elena was annoyed. She'd been making excuses for him all day, but the fact was that while a nice guy, Wick was a terrible protester. In Elena's perfect world, everyone protesting Trump would be self-controlled and mature. Maybe not silent in the face of violence—she didn't expect everyone to be Martin Luther King, Jr—but at least smart enough to see when they were being played for fools.

This world was so far from perfect.

Elena froze as the crowd rushed for the intersection near Wick. She saw one of the metal barriers tip over, as if in slow motion. Then things happened very fast.

Five or six guys jumped over it, screaming at the people on the other side, who were screaming back. Wick didn't go with them, but he was right there with his camera.

Policemen descended with their long wooden batons. They ordered Wick and the others to get back—at least she assumed they did—but she couldn't hear over the din. A red Trump hat flew towards the rally-goers, and Elena gasped as she realized it was on fire.

Another wave surged forward and Elena was pushed closer.

One of the pro-Trumpers was shouting, "That was an attack. You see that?" He turned to the policemen. "You should arrest this guy."

He and the hat thrower were nose to nose. The policeman pushed between them, but then the protester spit on the Trump guy and a real fight broke out.

Elena's perception of it wasn't the way it appeared on TV: first this guy threw a punch, then the police grabbed his arms, etc.

For her it just felt like the molecules of the crowd became excited when there was no space to do so. A bomb in fact. There were stomping feet and swinging arms and spit and yelling. A horn of some sort- police?-rang over the crowd. Elena briefly saw Wick, camera still out somehow, as she was spun this way and that. She came face to face with a riot-clad policeman and winced back from his raised baton, but he didn't swing at her. She turned away and tried to find a way out. In the surge of people, she didn't realize she was near a curb until she tripped and fell off it into the road.

Her ankle twisted and she fell to her knees. She would perhaps have fallen further and been trampled, but someone grabbed the back of her shirt and hauled her forcefully to her feet. It was another policeman. He didn't even look at her as he let go and hauled up another person tripping off the curb. He shouted at the crowd, "Get back. Go on, get on!"

The road was less chaotic. The police seemed to be pushing them towards the bridge, away from the convention center. Elena limped that way, hands over her ears. How could anything be this loud?

An explosion made her flinch. A cloud of white mist cloaked the road and Elena heard the yelling intensify. She began to cough in disbelief as a burning worked its way into her mouth and nose. Pepper spray? No, the way it exploded, it must be tear gas.

"Breathe through a wet cloth!" a man yelled.

"Put your shirt over your mouth," a woman told her.

Elena pulled her shirt up and stumbled further up the bridge.

She and the others were herded all the way across. Behind her she heard screams. Elena turned, despite her instinct to keep going, and saw a jet of orange spray hitting several protesters. _That_ was pepper spray.

Three cops knelt on a black guy in the middle of the road. Several more beat a protestor off the railing of the stairs that led to the convention center.

Elena stumbled away, in shock that she was in the middle of this, but surprisingly clear-headed despite the burning in her eyes. Was this a riot? Would it be characterized that way? It had happened so fast.

And so much of the crowd had been peaceful. Just...not enough.

Another block down, the crowd seemed to be slowing down. People sat on the curb, rubbing their eyes with shirt tails and sweaters, coughing and spitting into the street.

Cops set up a new cordon, and some of the protestors could barley stumble past it into the 'safe' zone, screaming from the pepper spray.

Elena turned this way and that, unsure what to do, who to help. Her own eyes streamed and stung, like a hundred onions had been chopped right next to her face. She knew she'd probably only got the edge of it, however. Others were in much more pain. She coughed and coughed, finally spitting a mouthful of muck into the street.

Her instinct was to help others, but she felt useless. Realizing she was light-headed, Elena sank to the sidewalk and sat cross-legged, half-hidden behind a parked SUV. She may not be able to help anyone, but at least she could avoid fainting and sucking up other people's efforts.

She coughed and swallowed, and swallowed again. Was this how Valerie's asthma felt, like her throat was filling with water faster than she could clear it?

Elena felt a hand on her shoulder and hoped to see Wick, but it was a stranger. He gave her a water bottle and Elena thanked him in a hoarse voice. She took a sip, but could hardly swallow it.

"Rinse your eyes first," he said. "Unless you were pepper sprayed?"

Elena shook her head.

"Okay good, water'll help the tear gas, but not the pepper spray." He tipped her head, and gestured for her to pour it over her eyes.

Elena did as he said, pouring the water from the inner corner of her eye towards the outer. She fluttered her eye in the cold stream, hoping to get it all out. The water dropped onto her jeans, but she didn't care.

"You should change clothes as soon as you can, to get rid of the residue, and flush your eyes more," the man explained. "I'm a nurse, by the way. So, listen, go home and rinse your eyes some more, and take a cold shower, not hot."

He nodded to her and moved onto another tear gas victim.

Elena concentrated on breathing. Maybe she'd inhaled more than she realized. A woman offered her an inhaler, but Elena shook her head. "I'm not asthmatic."

"It's okay, take two puffs anyway. For the inflammation."

Elena felt real tears prick her eyes at this thoughtfulness.

She didn't know if it would help, but it probably wouldn't hurt, so she did so.

She was even more surprised when she blinked more tears out of her eyes and saw that the woman had a Trump 2016 button on her shirt.

The lady smiled awkwardly and Elena did too. Would this lady get harassed—or worse—if she stayed here?

The lady winked at Elena and opened the door of the SUV. "Don't worry, I'm going. I just saw you hiding there and wanted to make sure you'd be okay."

She pulled away from the curb and several people threw trash at the car, spotting the bright "Make America Great Again" bumpersticker.

A rock struck the rear window just as it turned the corner and Elena thought she saw it crack before it was out of sight.

Wick was moaning when she eventually found him and Elena gave him the rest of her water bottle to rinse his eyes.

"That was unreal. Did you see them unload on us?"

"You got pepper sprayed?"

"Yeah, totally."

Elena studied him. "Actually I don't think you did, they told me water wouldn't help that." And she'd seen people screaming on the bridge, and Wick didn't look like he was in nearly that much pain. Or maybe she was just exhausted and sick and unsympathetic.

Elena helped him up and they got back to the car somehow. It was a bit of a blur to Elena.

"Do you want me to drive?" Wick asked. "Or would you feel more comfortable doing it? I want to help but the last thing in the world I want is to stress you out."

"Yeah, I'll drive," Elena said wearily.

"You're a rock," he complimented. "And even better, I can work on submitting these photos as we drive. The real money- I mean, the real exposure is to be had in the immediate aftermath. That's when people care about what happened."

Elena was too tired to ask how he would submit photos from the car. Perhaps he could email them from his camera. Her skin felt tight and itchy and while she could breathe, she still felt as if she was coming off a bad bout of bronchitis.

That drive home—over three hours—taxed Elena so much, she eventually did request Wick to drive. He was ready to oblige, having already sent off a bunch of offers and made one sale.

He was back in form after that, even making her laugh as he described how Caroline would have disliked the tear gas but gone livid when she lost her shoes.

Wick was an okay guy, Elena decided, even if he was a little too manipulative and immature for her taste. Frankly, he had so many disadvantages, how could she blame him for twisting things in his favor a bit?

And so what if he wasn't a pacifist? Who was she to judge? She certainly wasn't.

She also acknowledged that he wasn't the guy for her, even casual boyfriend material, but she felt so indifferent to this discovery, it almost wasn't a discovery at all.

Wick seemed to sag as they got closer to home. "I'm just wiped," he said. "Is there any chance I could crash at your place? I feel terrible asking, but my air conditioner is broken and my skin is already burning. It's going to be miserably hot tonight."

"When you say crash at my place..."

He raised his hands, "As much as I like you, I have zero further goals tonight. I just want to lay on your couch and recover somewhere cool."

"Okay. Sure."

When they got to her apartment building, Carl came out as always. Darn her parents for encouraging him.

He shook hands with Wick, and went into a description of his job managing properties and how he knew Elena.

Wick raised an eyebrow at her and Elena rolled her eyes. Carl clearly didn't register how disheveled and tired they were.

"Elena, you really should consider that assistant position when you graduate," Carl said, returning to an old theme. "It's a great entry-level job and those are not thick on the ground, you know."

"Yeah. We're pretty tired, though, so we can't talk long."

Carl suddenly looked Wick up and down again, as if realizing he was a guy. A guy going into Elena's apartment.

Elena sagged with exhaustion. If he got all jealous, she was going to have it out with him. She'd given Carl absolutely no encouragement.

Wick slapped his shoulder. "Don't worry. Elena's just taking pity on me because my AC is broken."

"Have you informed your apartment manager? That is exactly the sort of job they are paid for, you know. And sometimes residents mistakenly think they can fix appliances themselves, but I assure you, that always ends badly."

"Promise I won't touch it," Wick said. "I respect that. You property managers stick together."

Elena rolled her eyes at Wick. Why was he encouraging Carl? Could he possibly feel as bad as she did and still flatter an idiot?

Elena waved and went up the stairs, letting Wick jog to catch up with her.

When they were inside, Elena cranked up the air and got them both big glasses of water.

"What's up with that guy?" Wick asked.

Elena coughed, still feeling like she couldn't quite clear her throat. "Ugh. He's from Lodeye, California and he thinks property managing in LA is the most desirable job in the world. He's weird. And unfortunately my parents got all chummy with him when they helped me move and now he thinks we should be together."

"That guy thinks he could get with you? He aims high."

"Ha. He thinks he's doing me a favor. That's why he keeps offering me that job."

Elena drug herself to the shower and the rest of the evening went peacefully. Wick made dinner, which put her back in charity with him, and apologized at least twice for putting her out.

Elena left for work while he was still snoring on the couch and he was gone when she got home.


	21. Chapter 21

The night of the concert, Darcy gave in to his baser impulses and drove his car northwest. It would probably take him an hour to get to the concert, traffic being what it was despite the weekend, but he still got on the freeway and headed toward the Bowl. It was immature and stupid, and yet he was still going. He was using those two words a lot more often about himself than he liked.

But once he was on the way to the Bowl, he found himself justifying it. He hadn't been able to go on the same night as Charles and Caroline, and he'd chosen not to go last night with his mother. He loved and respected her, but a whole evening in a small group with her? While Gigi performed? No. Tonight was the only night left, and Fitz was one of his best friends. It made total sense for him to come tonight.

When he exited the freeway, it took half an hour to inch through the gate and another half hour to inch into a parking lot. He really should have hired a driver or taken a car service.

It was still light, though the sun sunk behind the hills. Darcy strode up the ramp that led to the Garden Boxes where his mother reserved a box for all of Gigi's performances. "Box" was a loose term. There were waist-high wooden dividers set up along the concrete terraces. They were tiny, most only allowing for four canvas folding chairs and two tiny tables. Often a box was split between two levels, making it difficult to get the tables level (they had adjustable legs) and meaning that two people had to crane their head to look up at the others while they ate.

Eating at the Bowl was a tradition for many. They would bring elaborate picnics and white tablecloths and good silver. Being the "talk" of the section was one of his mother's joys in life. Many people came as soon as the gates opened and ate and people-watched under the open sky for hours before the performance started.

That was not Darcy's idea of a good time. He felt claustrophobic in the small spaces. His long legs barely fit under the table, and then there was the awkward dance to get everyone's chair pointed to the stage when the concert began.

Since he hadn't come for dinner, most people were doing that shuffle now. Often people only needed two of a box's four seats, and so they shared with strangers. Now the polite rearrangements were happening as couples who sat across from each other switched places with others to be next to each other for the performance.

Finally he got to the far side where he spotted Elena and Fitz. It was obvious from a distance that they were having a good time. Darcy felt uncharacteristically self-conscious for a moment, but quickly brushed it aside.

"Fitz," Darcy greeted him, "Elena. My schedule changed so it looks like I'll be joining you tonight."

Fitz stood and shook his hand. "Hey, Darcy. Don't blame you, we've got it to ourselves tonight."

Elena smiled but didn't say anything as he got situated on her other side, trying to find a comfortable place to put his feet between chairs and table legs.

She looked like she'd been talking plenty a minute ago. Was she clamming up because of him?

"Any trouble parking?" Darcy asked finally. He kicked himself for not being able to come up with anything more interesting to say. He was an intelligent man, darn it, and not shy, whatever Gigi said. He just...preferred people he already knew. Like Fitz and Charles.

If only he could skip ahead to a time when he already knew Elena. Not that he was going back on his decision to avoid asking her out, but she was Gigi's friend now, too.

"No trouble at all," Elena replied hoarsely. "I Ubered here. Easy as pie."

"But how will you get home?"

She looked oddly at him. "I'll Uber a ride back, of course."

"Late at night? On your own? From a public venue?"

"Anything sounds bad when you say it in that tone of voice," she quipped. She coughed a little, raising a tissue to her mouth.

Darcy winced. "That doesn't sound good."

"It doesn't feel too good either. I have—uh—an allergy attack."

"That's rough. Nice of you to come support Gigi anyway."

She laughed and coughed again. "Well, unlike some people, I actually _enjoy_ the company of others, even when I don't feel great. It's this weird human-interaction thing. You may not have heard of it."

Fitz laughed. "Darcy just hasn't mastered the concept in the wild."

"I'm not good with new people, that's true." Darcy relaxed in spite of himself. "I'm glad neither of you are acquaintances. And…" he hesitated, "as such, getting an Uber from here is dangerous. I would never let Gigi do it."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "If Gigi lets you tell her what to do, that's her problem. I'm not your sister."

"Still—"

"Hey, I know where you live. You're heading toward a car-keying if you keep this up. I'm breaking all kinds of rules these days." The threat was delivered with a smile. Was she flirting with him?

#

Elena smiled at the thought of inflicting a long, hideous scratch down the length of Darcy's car. She'd always rather wanted to key a car, since she was introduced to the crime in middle school. Darcy deserved it, too. Paternalistic party-crasher that he was.

And he hadn't so much as mentioned the rally, though Caroline must have told him she was there. Or had she? Maybe not. Either way, Elena was in no mood to deal with him.

She'd been having a surprisingly great evening with Fitz, a perfect distraction from last week. Elena had been sleeping badly ever since the rally, waking in a panic from dreams of rushing crowds or drowning.

Fitz was a great antidote. He was funny, charming, and seemed to know everything about the music industry in California. He wasn't as good-looking as Wick or Darcy (not that she was comparing), but she already felt like she'd known him for years.

Now, with him on her left and Darcy on her right, all the fun had gone out of the evening. With Darcy, she had to watch what she said. Why did he have to come tonight?

The Los Angeles philharmonic began to come onto the stage, and the noise from the audience rose.

Fitz leaned toward her. "Have you seen a symphony performance before?"

"No, I haven't."

Fitz began to quietly fill her in on the conventions- when the first violin would come in, the guest oboe, and the conductor's background. It might have been condescending from Darcy, but Fitz loved music, and his enjoyment overflowed. He told her when to clap, "wait for his hands to go down," and how the program order was decided. "It was a mess of prestige, preference, and performance. I wrangled the best spots I could for Gigi, considering she likes to get her part over as fast as she can."

As the performance started, Fitz leaned back again.

The symphony played several classical pieces-Elena recognized them from Fantasia-before introducing the first guest vocalists to huge applause. Every now and then Fitz leaned close to explain a behind-the-scenes tidbit, or just to comment on the piece.

Darcy, on the other hand, sat as if deaf and mute. Elena looked over at him several times, and caught him looking at her. It was just like he had done at the cabin, but even less welcome here. If he was a normal guy, she might think he was interested in her, but his frown clearly said otherwise. Besides, he would never date someone like her—immigrant family, poverty background (though really they had been incredibly lucky), and opposite politics. She chanced another glance at him and he was still frowning at her.

"Is something wrong?" Elena demanded. If he didn't want to be near her, he shouldn't have come tonight.

His eyebrows rose. "Of course not."

When Gigi was announced, several songs later, the crowd screamed in an entirely new register.

Elena jumped in surprise, and both men put a hand on her shoulder.

Darcy jerked his hand away quickly, but Fitz smiled. "Gigi's fans tend to have high voices."

"No kidding," Elena said. "That's some shrieking." She glanced back at Darcy but he'd returned to his deaf/mute act.

"I guess I haven't spent any time with Gigi in public," Elena said.

Fitz nodded. "It's actually getting much better for her this year, but she prefers to lay low."

Elena couldn't help wondering how Wick fit into that. He didn't seem the lay low type. In fact, the more Elena got to know Gigi, she couldn't picture them together at all. Wick was right, their relationship probably had been a big mistake. Despite Gigi's great success, and even her sad experience with drugs, she seemed young for her age.

As she swept into the stage now, in a fuchsia ball gown with her hair up, she looked like a completely different person.

She beamed at the crowd and the mike wire wrapped perfectly around her neck amplified her voice. "It's wonderful to be back in Los Angeles at the Bowl." She paused for cheering. "I've been traveling a lot this year, so I thought I'd start with a song to celebrate being back."

An even higher pitched scream of approval radiated from the audience.

The orchestra started one of her most popular songs, with the refrain even Elena knew, about the LA lights never going out.

Gigi's magnified voice rang in the huge natural stadium like a force of nature. Elena's mouth dropped open.

She turned to Darcy almost without thinking. For once he wasn't looking disapprovingly at her, but was watching the stage with a pensive expression. "Wow," she mouthed silently when he glanced her way.

He smiled, full of brotherly pride and some sadness too, and Elena almost forgot to dislike him.

Gigi did one more song, then came an intermission.

Fitz said, "That's it for her for now. She'll have one more, third from the end."

Elena needed a drink of water (and a restroom), so they all decided to work their way out of the stadium.

Fitz was only about Elena's height, but he was good at working his way through the crowd. He put a light hand on Elena's arm to prevent them getting separated, and steered them toward one of the less crowded bathrooms hidden behind a large souvenir stall.

Darcy had disappeared at some point, so Elena and Fitz browsed for a few minutes.

"I'm having a really nice time tonight," Fitz said. "It's been a while since I've been to the Bowl with a first-timer."

"I'm glad I could make it more fun for you. I definitely lucked out getting to attend when you could tell me all about it. Shame Darcy came," Elena added, before thinking better of it. She winced. She _was_ annoyed that he was there, but she should be careful. Fitz might read more into it than she meant. "I don't begrudge him the space," Elena hurried on. "But he's always so...grim."

Fitz laughed. "Not grim. I would describe him as stoic."

"Is that better?"

He shrugged. "Darcy's a good guy. If you think the screaming for Gigi is intense, you should see the jostling that goes on when he enters the House restaurant in DC. I met him there once and it was...impressive. He inherited his money and most of his influence from his dad, and that could have made him a real jerk. But he lets most of it slide off. Maybe stoic is the wrong word. Guarded."

"Guarded like a prison," Elena amended. "And about as friendly."

Fitz smiled. "Yeah, he's not very good at making friends. How did he offend you?"

Elena shook her head. "It's very terrible. You know he vacationed in a cabin where I worked? Well, he _stayed in_ every time I came to clean the cabin. What kind of psychopath does that? I'm not sure I saw him go outside the whole two weeks."

Fitz laughed. "Gigi said she met you at a party in Spear Lake. I didn't realize you worked there."

Elena grinned tightly. "Well, my secret is out. I'm a low-skilled laborer. A maid, even."

Fitz held up his hands. "I'm the last to judge. I washed cars for a year, bussed tables, even, literally, dug ditches."

"Poor Fitz."

"Yes, poor Fitz. I was surrounded by these monolith guys that had two hundred pounds on me. I was about as heavy as the shovel."

Fitz waved at Darcy further up the ramp as the crowd flowed back to their seats, but Darcy didn't see him. Fitz continued, "You know, Darcy was the one who interviewed and hired me to manage Gigi's jobs when she was younger. I had already transitioned to talent management, but that was my big break."

"Charles said something similar about his own career."

"Yeah, Darcy has a real knack for helping people find their path."

"Weird. He strikes me as non-intuitive to the point of handicap."

"Yeah, don't get me wrong, he can give a statue tips on posture... but I'm totally jealous of him in some ways." He glanced at Elena and sighed. "But I can't diss him even if I wanted to. Even this week, he's spent hours on the phone talking a friend through some kind of crisis."

"What kind of crisis?"

"I don't know, but he spent hours this week reassuring him."

Elena's lips tightened. Surely this wasn't Charles, right? Did Charles need reassurance on dropping Noa without so much as a text?

Fitz continued. "I don't have much in common with Darcy, but he's about as loyal as they come."

Elena snorted. She didn't admire the sort of loyalty that would lead him to do the things he'd done.

Back in their small space, Elena was even less inclined to talk to Darcy, but unfortunately he'd decided otherwise. He asked about her favorite musicians—that was allowable, considering they were at a concert—but he also asked how her job was going and what classes she would be taking the fall semester. Did she have plans for being an independent sports trainer? Did she—

"Are you trying to decide if I'm on the right career path?" Elena asked him. "Fitz says you like to meddle in people's lives that way."

Fitz shrunk comically in his chair. "I did not say that. She lies."

Even Darcy smiled. "I already know Elena likes to twist things out of context at times."

"Harsh," Elena said. "I would say I give things new context. So they can be understood better."

Fitz looked from her to Darcy and back again. "I feel like _I'm_ missing some context."

Elena shushed them both. "The next song is starting."


	22. Chapter 22

When the concert was over, fireworks and all, and the spots were beginning to fade from Elena's vision, she asked Fitz, "What next? Do we go find Gigi?"

She couldn't quite imagine navigating her way against this crowd. The Bowl could hold over seventeen thousand people (Fitz had told her earlier) and now they were all heading out.

Darcy spoke up. "I checked in with Gigi during intermission. She told her driver to pick her up after her last song, to avoid the crush."

"Oh." Elena felt sad thinking of Gigi riding home alone after the color and excitement and _sound_ of tonight. Was she sitting in the back of a limo, suffering the crash most artists and athletes felt after a performance? As a recovering addict, being alone and depressed was a bad combination.

"I wish she could've gone home with you."

Darcy just shrugged and Elena wondered if he hadn't thought if it the way she had.

They made their way slowly out of the box tiers and down the side ramp, crowded on all sides. Elena wrapped her purse over the opposite shoulder and held it tightly in her hand; it would be easy for someone to grab it unnoticed when she was jostled from all sides.

"Did you already arrange for an Uber?" Darcy asked.

"No, but I will in a moment. I wasn't sure exactly what time we'd get out."

Fitz opened his mouth, but then paused when his phone buzzed. He looked down at it and frowned. "It's from Gigi. She asked if I'd meet her to discuss something.

"Oh. Do you think she's okay?" Elena asked.

He grinned wryly. "Probably. She just sent this." It was a drawn out, "Pleeeease" with several heart emojis. "I guess I'm going. G'night!" Fitz said.

Elena watched Fitz retreat, glad that he'd soon be with Gigi. He'd cheer her up if she needed cheering.

Darcy still stood beside her, silent and judgmental.

Elena pulled out her phone and tapped the Uber icon. "Well. It's been...a night. Don't feel like you need to wait with me or anything."

Darcy put a hand on her arm to stop her. "Don't get an Uber. I'll take you home."

Elena was raw from the evening, raw from the rally, raw from the last six months of anxiety and trouble. "Hard pass. But thanks."

"I respect that you don't know me that well, but surely I'm a safer bet than a complete stranger?"

"No bet. I'm sure you want to be heading home and it's in the opposite direction." Elena had no idea where this offer came from, unless it was the fruit of his deep-seated need to control the people around him.

"Please," his deep voice actually sounded humble for a moment. "I wanted to talk to you about Gigi."

Elena looked up at him, searching for signs of truth. He was as unreadable as ever. Seriously he could be the first sentient AI and she would _not_ know the difference. "Sure. Okay, fine. You could have said so."

She walked with him out to a distant parking lot. The moon was full, illuminating the black asphalt with silver highlights. The red tail-lights of reversing cars created a bit of a dodge and dash game. If Elena had been with Noa or Valerie or even Wick it would have been fun.

As they passed between the last few rows of parked cars, two guys whistled at Elena. She ignored them, but Darcy turned and glared for a moment. They laughed and shrugged, and Elena resented the fact that Darcy could quell with one look something that might have been a _situation_ for her alone.

If anything, it put her in an even worse mood by the time she got in the passenger seat of Darcy's car.

His incredibly nice car.

"So what about Gigi?" Elena asked abruptly. "Is she doing alright?"

"Just a sec. Let me navigate out of this mess. Would you put your address in the GPS?"

Elena got the map headed toward her apartment and leaned back in the soft seat. This was more comfortable than some beds she'd had. She didn't feel any burden to fill the silence, so she finally relaxed. As much as Elena disliked Darcy, she wasn't at all worried about being alone in his car.

#

After Darcy worked his way out of the Bowl grounds and onto the twisty streets that would lead back to the highway, he looked over in some disbelief. Elena had fallen asleep. Her mouth was slightly open, and her head had tipped to the side. Her eyes were shut and she breathed deeply, but with a hint of a rattle. Probably from those allergies she said she was recovering from.

As if she could feel the weight of his gaze, she jerked up, awake again. "Are we on the 101 already? Did I doze off? Yikes."

She smoothed her hair and rubbed her eyes, looking less defensive than normal. More chagrined.

"I really like you," Darcy blurted out. "I have to get that out there." He kept his eyes on the road. He hadn't premeditated his words, but really, ever since he chose to come tonight, he'd known he was coming to this, hadn't he? "I find you delightful, and I have ever since the night at that horrible restaurant."

He chanced a glance at her and she looked confused. Darcy explained, "You know, the night your truck died."

"I—I know. But… What?"

Darcy continued. It felt like a headlong rush into madness but he tried to keep his voice measured. "I know we've only had a few lengthy conversations—four, as a matter of fact—but I feel like I know you. And I know we disagree about some political things, but I've decided that's not a deal-breaker. I'm not one of those insecure guys who can't handle disagreement. In fact, when we were discussing—well, never mind." He didn't want to bring up sore subjects tonight. What _did_ he want to say? Darcy gripped the steering wheel, exulting in finally doing something he wanted to do, rather than what he calculated he _should_ do. "I know it makes no sense, you and me, but I'd like to give it a try. And I know it's a little awkward, with Charles and your sister's unpleasantness, but that's over, so it's no reason why we shouldn't go out. In fact, would you be willing to come to—"

"Unpleasantness?" Elena cut him off in a low voice. "Charles' and Noa's _unpleasantness_?"

"Whatever you want to call it. Breakup seems too strong for a relationship which was clearly doomed from the outset, but whatever you think."

Elena stared at him and Darcy wondered if he was missing something. "I'm not insulting your sister, it wasn't her fault, I'm sure. My main point was that although you and I," he was surprised how much he enjoyed saying those words, "although you and I don't make sense on paper, I—I don't care."

"On paper? In what universe _would_ we make sense? I can't think of one. No wait, maybe a universe in which my sister isn't heart-broken and worried about deportation?"

"What?"

"Maybe in a universe where you respect me enough not to trap me in a car before coming on to me? Maybe—"

Darcy blinked. "I'm not doing that. I haven't even touched you."

"Then I guess it's expected that most girls would thank you for—whatever this is. An invitation? A declaration? If I felt complimented maybe I would. But I don't want you to like me, and I never did."

Darcy felt his face grow rigid with control. So clearly he'd been wrong about that. "You're very honest, that's partly what I like about you. I understand you haven't given me any thought, not romantically, but now that you know how I feel—though you must have guessed, at Charles' party or at my house..."

"I didn't, and it makes no difference. I would never fall for someone like you. How _could_ I be with someone who makes light of my family's problems? No wait, someone who's actively making it worse? And if that wasn't bad enough, what about Wick? I know all about what you did to him."

Darcy was embarrassed. And disappointed. And angry. And when she mentioned Wick, rage kicked in. "What I did to him? What horrible, life-rending wrong did I do him? Please inform me."

"His uncle. I looked it up, he was deported just like Wick told me. And you reported him. You destroyed that poor man's family just because Wick broke up with Gigi. And clearly you don't think it's a big deal, but let me tell you, it is. What do you think Wick's aunt can do now? She has to choose between her husband and her kids. They're not citizens, of course, they're DACA recipients like Noa," she spat.

Darcy breathed in and out carefully, feeling the 1-2 punch of this new information about her family, combined with the utter contempt in her voice.

She continued. "They can't leave or they won't get back in. And you did all this just because somebody hurt Gigi's feelings. Not to mention getting Wick fired. What if Gigi gets angry with me? Will my family suffer?"

Darcy felt blindsided. First there was her revelation, then her wrong information, and finally her assumption that he knew about all of it. "And this is what you think of me?" he finally managed. "No wonder you sound so disgusted."

"Anyone would," she assured him. "Ever since I met you, you've been nothing but cold and arrogant. You treated Caroline like a disposable hand wipe, and she's your friend! You treated Noa like a cheap trinket your friend bought on vacation. This thing with Wick didn't even surprise me that much, because it's clear you don't think other people are as important as you. You do realize other people have emotions? You're the last person in the world I would date, even if you could stoop to the level of an anchor baby like me."

"You've been quite thorough, but you missed a step. Do you think I knew your family were illegal? Or your sister? I would never have..." He closed his mouth on the cruel, angry things he wanted to say. He hadn't been this vulnerable and this angry in a very long time.

"You never would have asked me out? So you're saying you didn't know that's why Charles dumped Noa? You didn't know that's why I was at that rally? I don't believe you. Caroline would have poured that story in your ear the moment she heard."

"What rally?"

Elena snorted as if he was being too obtuse for words. Darcy had been following the GPS to her apartment, and he now pulled up to the curb, next to a dismal, cracked, weedy building.

Elena opened her door without another word.

Darcy gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry if I ruined your evening with my inconvenient admiration. Good night."

She slammed the door and went to the locked iron gate that looked like it led to a small, ugly courtyard.

He was still angry, but he waited to make sure she would get in safely. To his intense displeasure, though whether it was fear, jealousy, or hate he wasn't sure, a man came up to her just inside the door and put his hand on her shoulder.

Elena looked up at the guy and nodded, then shook her head. They disappeared into the courtyard and Darcy almost hit a parked car as he peeled away from the curb.

Who was that guy? How had this gone so badly? How the heck did Caroline know all about Elena's family and he didn't?

Darcy used the voice commands to call Caroline from the car. It was after midnight, but he didn't care. She would answer if she saw it was him.

"Darcy," she said, her voice husky. "I was about to go to bed. Everything alright?"

"No. How did you know about the Benitez family—specifically Noa? And _what_ do you know about them?"

"Uh," she floundered, sounding much less sultry. "You mean that they're illegal aliens? Apparently their mother blurted it all out to Charles at his birthday party. I was going to tell you, but you've been so busy."

Darcy ran his fingers through his hair. So that was what happened that night! That's what aged Charles ten years and sent him back to Sacramento a subdued, uncertain version of himself. "And was Elena at the Trump rally? Did you see her?" He himself had been in a section with other Republican politicians from California and had seen Caroline only briefly. He'd been more concerned with what he was hearing. Could Trump actually pull the national election? Surely not, and yet...the enthusiasm from the crowd had been unmistakable. Unlike anything he'd seen at a Republican convention or rally in his whole life.

Darcy hadn't met Trump yet, and he was sure Trump didn't know who he was, but the people _around_ Trump knew about him and his organization. Soon Darcy would have to decide how involved to become.

Caroline hesitated. "Yes, I saw her with the anti-Trumpers outside."

"Did you enter from the south side? Was it where the police had to beat them back? They used tear gas." Had Elena been there? Were her red eyes and cough from _that_?

Caroline faltered. "I don't know. She was fine when I saw her. She was with Wick." Caroline threw that out with satisfaction, he could tell, and he almost hung up on her.

"One more thing," Darcy ground out, "how did you know about Noa, did Charles tell you?" Because that didn't add up for Darcy. Would he really tell his less-than-reliable sister something so damaging?

"Oh, I don't know. I guess he—"

"I'll call and ask him, shall I?"

"What is the matter with you tonight?"

"Caroline."

"No really, did something happen?"

"Caroline!" he barked out.

"Fine. I saw an email chain open on Charles' laptop and I read it. Alright? Is the inquisition over?"

"Yes, it is."

Darcy drove the rest of the way home in thick silence.

He mentally rebutted everything Elena said, angry and resentful. Elena didn't know the full story of Wick and Gigi, but surely she knew him well enough to recognize the lies? And he didn't know about her family, that wasn't his fault.

But everything else she'd said, everything she'd accused him of...

Darcy laughed grimly at himself. He'd thought so much about his own objections to Elena—objections that paled in comparison to what he knew now—that he hadn't truly thought about her turning him down. He realized with humiliation that his shock only confirmed her claim that he was arrogant and out of touch.

 _Did_ he think he was more important than other people?

Well, he was, in some ways. As far as influence and money (which was also influence), connections and potential—he was categorically more important than many people. Denying it wouldn't be honest or helpful.

But he'd always thought he kept that part of his life separate from his view of humanity. For heaven's sake, part of the Republican platform was the value of life and he'd never questioned his commitment to that. Had he allowed his position to infect him? Did he really treat others as if they weren't real? Only objects to be moved?

No! He didn't think that...

Darcy wanted to talk to Elena again, to explain that he understood what she'd said and why she thought so. He wasn't the person she thought he was. But when he pictured a conversation, he couldn't imagine it not ending in a fight. She was so angry, and there was so much to explain.

And, good grief, she'd probably been tear-gased less than three days ago, and she'd sat there all evening coughing and couldn't even tell them why.

He would write to her. In a letter, he could make sure he fully explained and didn't get carried away with his emotions.

That wasn't a consideration he normally made, but clearly with Elena it was necessary.


	23. Chapter 23

Elena shook off Carl at her apartment door, never less in the mood for his hopeful company.

How dare Darcy ask her out? In such an insulting, arrogant way? He hadn't even asked how she felt. He just assumed she'd say yes once he explained that he didn't care that she disagreed with him.

It was so condescending! He didn't care what she _thought_ about anything or why. The only important thing was whether _he_ was okay with that.

What about her? What about _her_ tolerance of _him_?

Elena threw her purse against the wall and poured a big glass of water for her aching throat.

She had never in a thousand years expected to have that conversation with Darcy.

What would Wick say?

Good grief, what would Gigi say?

Elena should just give up on the job with Gigi. Clearly the fates were aligned against their friendship.

Elena sipped the water, tossing down some ibuprofen while she was at it, and kicking her shoes off by the front door.

She desperately wanted to talk to Noa, but was that wise? Noa had dealt with the hurt of Charles' abrupt goodbye; she didn't deserve to have the wound opened and salted.

Keri was in a different time zone and was certainly asleep.

Valerie might be awake, but Elena had no desire to talk to her about this. Probably the whole thing would be on Twitter, tagged #Gianasbrother, before the conversation was done.

In desperation, Elena texted Noa, "Are you awake?"

Elena's phone rang immediately and she answered it in relief. She just wouldn't tell Noa anything about Darcy or Caroline or Charles.

Noa's sweet voice was a relief to Elena's bruised soul.

"I'm sorry if I woke you. I really needed a friendly voice."

"What's wrong?" Noa asked. "You sounds hoarse and...what's wrong?"

Elena told her all about the rally, instead of more personal things, and Noa exclaimed in horror. "Why didn't you call me then? That's so awful. You could have been really hurt."

"Yeah, it was surreal, for sure. Wick sold several photos. I saw them in the news cycle."

"Do you think...I mean, maybe you shouldn't go to these things with him? He seems nice but Caroline said he wasn't to be trusted and… it doesn't sound like he took very good care of you."

"He doesn't have to take care of me, I'm not his girlfriend." Elena paused. "Still, point taken." She'd just accused Darcy of treating Wick badly, but that didn't mean she thought Wick was perfect. In fact, she felt more comfortable defending Wick to Darcy since she _wasn't_ interested in him.

Silence stretched out. Elena had run out of things she could say to Noa, but she needed some kind of closure. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Taking care of the littles at the daycare. I've been helping Mireya with the baby. She's having a rough time."

"Any news on...other things?" Had Charles or Caroline been in contact with her? Had Elena misunderstood Caroline's quick jab?

"I took Monday off to try again with the DACA renewal, no news yet though." She sounded like she might cry, and clearly had nothing to say about Charles. "Not to end on a down note, but I better go. I'm really tired and...I don't want to drag you down." This alone proved how much Noa had been hurt this summer. Elena didn't recall her ever admitting to tiredness, let alone "dragging anyone down."

"Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for letting me decompress."

"Bye."

Elena went to bed angry with Darcy and Charles and everything unfair in the world.

When she came out of her cycling class the next morning, she was exhausted. Monday was always a big crowd, especially at the beginning of summer break when teachers and students made new workout goals. She had to be 'on' to keep it fun and engaging for the class. That was part of what they paid for, someone to help them strip off their stress and pump harder and longer than they could on their own.

She wiped her forehead with one of the white towels. The front desk girl jogged down the hall to her.

"Ellie! There's the hottest guy in the lobby waiting for you. I couldn't let him in since he's not a member, but I told him I'd come find you."

Elena frowned. "Tall, beard, suit?"

"Yeah, intense too."

"Shoot." Elena had a craven desire to refuse to come to the lobby and make her friend send him away, but that might make more of a scene.

Elena followed her out to the small lobby. There were two waiting chairs and a basket for used towels. Darcy stood awkwardly by the basket with sunglasses still on.

"I found Ellie," the receptionist simpered. "She's one of our most popular spinning coaches."

Elena tossed her sweaty towel past him into the basket. "Can I help you? Are you here to find a new trainer for Gigi?"

He hesitated and then removed his glasses as if lowering a shield. "Can we step outside for a second?"

Elena frowned.

"Don't worry. I don't intend to annoy you by repeating what I said yesterday.

Elena pushed out the door and led him down the steps to the tiny patch of grass under a tree next to the parking lot. It was too hot to stand in the direct sun.

To her surprise, Darcy took out a manila folder and handed it to her. "I want to apologize for getting angry last night. I think you have a right to know the whole story, since..." he trailed off. "I hope you'll look through these and read my explanation. I don't expect your opinion of me to change, but I want you to be informed about those you trust. What's in there is extremely private. Please be careful who you share it with. And please either give it back to me or shred it when you're done." He put his glasses back on. "Gigi is still expecting you at the normal time for your next session. I hope you'll come." He walked away before she could decide what to say.

The large envelope felt heavy in her hands, but Elena had another class in a few minutes and she knew she didn't have time to read it right then. She quickly went back, stowed it carefully in her locker, and went back to the cycling studio.

Her mouth moved and words came out, but Elena had no idea what she said during the class. Hopefully it was appropriate.

What could be in it? It must relate to Wick, but how? What could Darcy say?

She dashed back to the employee locker and changing room and got out the folder. She didn't want to be bothered so she went into one of the changing booths and pulled the curtain shut.

There were a lot of papers in the folder. Some were black and white copies of photographs—blurry photographs with weird angles that looked like surveillance stills or something. There were copies of official papers, which she rifled through seeing restraining orders, assault, and endangerment charges.

Several typewritten pages were stapled together.

 _Dear Elena._

 _I apologize if this comes off cold and clinical, but I'm a faster typist than writer. You accused me of several things last night, and rather than refute what you believe, I would rather lay the truth out for you. Then you can decide with all the facts._

 _Wick began dating Gigi nearly two years ago now. I don't know exactly how they met, but he's a man who can always get an invitation to a party he wants to attend. I was protective of Gigi, and while I was dubious about him, I had no right to dictate who she dated, nor did I try to. I even tried to get to know him. You accused me of trying to thrust people into careers, and I suppose this is true to a certain extent. I prefer to see people working than not, particularly when their talents and qualities can be exercised._

 _I got Wick an internship in the Los Angeles department of my father's organization. He is friendly and charming, and I thought he might do well in several fields of business, particularly marketing or outreach. He was ungrateful for this, and asked if I couldn't get him a better paying job. (There was a small stipend for the internship, 30k a year, as I don't believe in long-term free labor.) I told him that without a degree or experience I couldn't promote him above other candidates, but that if he worked steadily for the full year, his supervisor would definitely consider him for a full-time position._

 _He did not do this. I've attached a copy of his supervisor's report, mainly detailing that he showed up late, missed many days with no explanation, and at least twice made inappropriate comments to female coworkers._

 _During this time he was also dating Gigi. She has always been in the public eye, ever since she was a child star, but the paparazzi seemed to grow worse during that time. Stories from "an inside source" became detailed and inflammatory. It came to a head when she flew into LAX and her flight had been leaked. A huge crowd was there to see her, and in the excitement and chaos, there was a rush to her. It became a stampede and she was nearly trampled. She was manhandled, groped, bruised, frightened, and then forced to put on a smile when she finally got clear of the crowd. The news cameras were there to catch it all. Wick was with her, and somehow escaped harm, though he managed to leave with her._

 _I later found evidence that he had leaked their arrival time to cause just such an incident. He was making money on the side by selling information about her to tabloids, plus photos and stories, besides trading on the publicity to get better connections._

 _This was, I hope you'll agree, reason enough for him to be terminated from the internship._

 _Gigi was upset with me for having him fired, but by then I'd hired a private investigator to find out whether my suspicions about Wick were founded. I was able to show her evidence that the LAX incident was his fault._

 _I didn't know at the time that he had also encouraged her to begin misusing prescription drugs. He is a user himself, a so-called functional addict. He didn't merely expose Gigi to this. She has been in the industry too long to be unaware, but he alternately encouraged her, belittled her, and manipulated her, until she began using to deal with the stress of her performances and her life. That is her responsibility, and she knows it, but I can't help resenting the man who led her down the path, can I? She'll always struggle with the temptation to return to that addiction, and that is something I wouldn't wish on anyone._

 _In the course of the private investigation, an even worse crime came out. This is where Wick's uncle comes into it._

 _I'd never met the man, though Gigi had briefly. He was a dealer, and was also hoping to benefit by connecting with the Hollywood scene. He was also a human trafficker._

 _Gigi is extremely popular with young girls, much like your younger sister, who will do almost anything to see her in person. Many of them are young and foolish, and dream of making it as an actress or singer in LA. These girls, particularly runaways and foster children, are extremely vulnerable. Wick's uncle had, on at least two occasions, used his association with Gigi to lure girls to LA. He had a picture of himself and Gigi and Wick, taken the one time Gigi met him, and he sent it to these girls. He assured them that they too could meet her and have a wonderful career._

 _You will see evidence of this in the packet I've enclosed. I did report him, and though I hoped he would be prosecuted here, he was eventually deported to Mexico where he was criminally allowed to go free. This angers me every time I think of it._

 _And I assure you that Wick's aunt, an admirable woman I've now met on several occasions, has no desire to be reunited with him. They were already separated when all this took place. I must assume Wick has not introduced you, because she would be quick to refute portions of his narrative._

 _Gigi, I need hardly say, was beyond horrified to realize how her image had been used. Particularly since there may, probably are, other instances we're unaware of. She lives with a lot of guilt._

 _The anxiety and depression made it even harder for her to admit her addiction, but I am grateful to say that she initiated the conversation herself, and voluntarily removed herself from her career to go to rehab._

 _I think I have laid out the whole sordid story now, and can at least relate that a recent sting operation recovered one of the girls who was trafficked by Wick's uncle._

 _I will only add, on a more personal note, that I was completely unaware that your parents and sister are undocumented. Caroline confessed that she learned this without Charles' intention. She was content that it had broken things off between Charles and Noa._

 _I admit that I encouraged Charles not to prolong the relationship, but only because I saw that he was unhappy and I didn't think Noa would be unduly hurt. If she is heart-broken, and I take your word for it, I am very sorry for her. For what it's worth, I believe Charles was strongly attached to Noa. He mentioned once that she never replied to his last message and I know that hurt him._

 _Lastly, I suspect you were caught in the altercation that took place in San Diego outside the Trump rally, and I hate to think of the pain you must have endured. I'm very thankful you weren't seriously hurt._

 _Please forgive my harsh reaction last night, and take care of yourself._

 _Sincerely,_

 _William Darcy_


	24. Chapter 24

"Elena didn't know how to feel or think after that. She flipped through the other documents, hardly taking in what she saw. There were emails, time-stamped phone logs, preliminary court records, and there—Elena paused—a photo of a smiling Gigi, Wick, and a middle-aged man with his arms around them both.

She stuffed it all back into the folder, unwilling to examine it more right now. And what if someone caught her looking at this? She couldn't believe Darcy had given her such sensitive information.

She put the folder back in her locker—double checking the combination lock this time—and went to her next appointment.

As a work day, it was a nightmare.

As a day to admit she totally sucked at reading people's character, it was also a nightmare.

She tried to imagine that Darcy was lying and this was an elaborate hoax, but it didn't work, even as wish fulfillment.

The evidence was convincing, and so was his letter. It wasn't the letter of a liar, as much as she might want it to be.

And Wick...good grief. He was probably stalking Gigi the day she'd met him! He even showed her a photo of the road to the cabin and admitted he was an old boyfriend and she didn't put it together.

Some of Darcy's explanation was supported by Wick's behavior at the rally, as well. And Wick had talked about how lucky he was in slipping out of crowds without getting hurt. Had he been thinking of Gigi and LAX?

In retrospect, Elena couldn't think of a single reason why she'd trusted him. He'd flattered her that day, sure, but there must have been more to it than that.

Wasn't there?

And he'd told her that awful story about Darcy getting his uncle deported. Had Elena already told him about Noa by then? How could she have been so indiscreet?

Elena had been so ready to believe Wick, because she already couldn't stand Darcy. One had made her feel beautiful and the other made her feel small, and she'd judged them both accordingly.

How stupid!

Her mind was almost completely consumed by the enormity of Wick's awful behavior, but soon another concern edged in.

Darcy wrote that Charles was disappointed when Noa never replied to his last email. But, as far as Elena knew, she _had_ replied. Charles had sent her the formal, "good luck with your life," email, and Noa had replied to that. Then nothing.

Had there been another email Noa didn't tell her about? One Noa had chosen not to reply to? Or had Charles not gotten her first response at all?

Because if so, she totally knew who to blame. Clearly Caroline had seen her brother's email (how else would she know without him telling her?) and it would have been too easy to delete Noa's dignified and heartfelt response.

That would significantly change the scenario.

Without Noa's response, Charles probably did think she'd cultivated him with the express purpose of getting help. And when he hadn't offered enough, she'd never bothered to reply.

Elena's first impulse was to clear it up immediately. She hated to think of Charles having such a wrong impression of her sister. And she hated Noa being mistreated like that.

Elena got out her phone to call Noa and thrash it out, then hesitated. It would relieve Elena's own pent up feelings, and possibly save Noa the bitter sting of feeling so abruptly cut off...but would it change anything?

The bones of the problem were still the same. Fixing the lines of communication wouldn't solve it. Not this time.

For heaven's sake, she pictured Darcy last night, horrified to realize he'd almost gone on a date with an anchor baby, and how much worse would it be for Charles with a dreamer? Noa didn't need that kind of rejection again.

It was unfortunate that Caroline was such a malicious, controlling woman, but perhaps her interference was for the best, a clean break.

Heck no, Elena backtracked. She couldn't go that far. Caroline was a jerk, and her interference made things worse. But Elena doubted her own ability to undo the damage without making it even more painful. And unlike Caroline, Elena cared more about her friends than her own wishes.

"When the time for Gigi's next appointment came around, Elena was unusually nervous. She didn't want Darcy to be there, obviously, but she was also nervous about seeing Gigi now that she knew so much more about her. Did Darcy get Gigi's permission before spilling all those details?

And if so, what should Elena say?

She pulled up in their driveway and immediately noted that Gigi didn't spring out the back door to welcome her like she normally did.

Elena knocked uncertainly.

"Is that you?" Gigi called from somewhere around the back of the house. "Come on back, I'm almost done."

Elena followed the flagstone path around a large patio and to the back of the house. There was no grass back here, but several raised beds and a gritty, reddish rock covering the empty spaces

Gigi was kneeling next to the older man Elena had seen before, and they were both red and sweaty. Gigi's forearms were covered with clinging potting soil, and some was on her forehead too.

Purple and blue flowers were in the bed, clearly a fresh planting.

"We're putting in some plumbago, some hyacinth, and...what's this one?" Gigi asked.

The old man smiled. "Plain old lantana."

"That one. We're going drought-tolerant, and Manny lets me help. Sorry I lost track of time." Gigi got up and brushed her hands off, looking uncertainly at Elena.

Darcy must have told her something about their disastrous car ride and the aftermath, Elena decided.

"Looks great. No problem. Do you want to get started or are you tired?"

Gigi headed back to the kitchen door. "I was rather wondering if you might be too tired."

Elena frowned. Why would she be tired? She was here to train Gigi, she wouldn't have come if she was sick or something. Then it clicked.

"Did your brother mention I had a... hard week?"

Gigi scrubbed her hands and arms with soap at the large farmhouse sink. "Yeah. Something about that. San Diego?"

"I'm totally fine. Thanks for checking." And she was. The effects of the tear gas were gone. She'd had a few bad nights of sleep, but that wasn't the end of the world.

"I know something about crowds and riots," Gigi said quietly. "It's pretty scary."

Elena nodded slowly, processing Gigi's words. "I heard." She wanted to give Gigi more than that. "In my case, it wasn't even the tear gas that really freaked me out. It was how fast it got violent. I was in line at the grocery store yesterday—a big crowd, right after work, you know?—and I thought, what if somebody insults or punches somebody else and they all start fighting? I could feel the press of people around me."

Gigi nodded. "I suppose any danger is like that; car wrecks, accidents, shootings—it's hard when something as simple as crowds brings it back to you."

Elena studied Gigi's face. "You had it worse than me. At least I was anonymous."

She laughed ruefully. "That's true. Fame has its own issues."

"Speaking of which," Elena was ready to get to lighter ground, "I loved your performance at the Bowl. Wow. For real, you were amazing."

"Thanks," Gigi said lightly, without self-consciousness. "It was one of my better nights. Nights like that, honestly, are one of the few things that make me want to stay in."

They headed up to the workout room and it wasn't until the last five minutes of their session that Gigi brought up Darcy again. "He's going back to Washington D.C. tonight," she said, a little too casually. "He generally splits his time in the summer, but he stayed for my concert."

The sound of a door opening downstairs and a woman's voice calling her name wiped the smile off Gigi's face.

"Shoot. It's my mom," she said.

There were other voices and as Elena came downstairs behind Gigi, she was discomfited to see Charles and Caroline as well.

Their expressions when they saw her were ludicrously opposite. Charles' face lit up with a genuine smile of pleasure which quickly dimmed. Caroline looked shocked and displeased but pasted a smile over it before Gigi could notice.

"Gigi looked a little non-plussed as well, but gamely introduced Elena ("my friend and trainer") to her mother, Katherine de Bourgh, leaving Elena to guess whether she should say Katherine or if the formidable lady would expect her to say Ms. de Bourgh. Had she divorced their father before he died or did she keep her maiden name? These people were a minefield.

She was a tall, sturdy woman, built like her son really, and not nearly as pretty or appealing as Gigi. "Good. I trust you'll help Gigi slim back down. She's never had so much trouble keeping the weight off."

Elena didn't know what her expression showed—something between anger and disbelief—but Ms. de Bourgh must have thought it was confusion. "You do speak English, don't you?" She looked to Gigi. "You know you have to check their credentials. Anyone can claim to be certified."

Elena defiantly put her arm around Gigi. "Don't worry. Gigi is in great shape, and hopefully I can help her feel even better."

Ms. De Bourgh smiled thinly. "Wonderful. Don't let us keep you."

Elena was about to leave anyway, but now she was royally annoyed. She turned to Charles with a friendly smile. "Long time, no see. I can't believe it's only been a few weeks since Spear Lake. How are you?"

With this encouragement, he came forward to shake her hand. "Fine, of course. Darcy doesn't let me be anything else. And you, and your family, are they all doing well?"

"It's been a...difficult summer, honestly. I think everybody feels that way though."

He bit his lip. "That's...yes, that's true, I suppose."

Ms. De Bourgh broke in. "You suppose? With Prince passing last month and I don't know how many other celebrities...it's shocking."

Caroline chimed in, "And the awful violence in San Diego last week. Why Charles or Darcy or I might have been hurt!"

Elena smiled daggers at her. "What a terrifying experience that must have been."

Gigi laughed nervously and Charles looked confused, like he knew he was missing something but wasn't sure what.

Ms. De Bourgh settled herself on the white couch. "I can't believe how many people have suggested to me that Gigi might give Trump an endorsement. Such a buffoon, though he does know how to get the press. But I would never dream of putting you through that. The illegals are making them a nightmare. I don't know why the police don't arrest them right there! They're not hiding."

Charles winced and looked apologetically at Elena. "They're not illegal, or criminals."

Gigi frowned fiercely. "And I would never do it anyway. He's such a jerk." She turned to Elena. "If you thought those guys at the party were bad, you wouldn't believe what Trump is like. He tried to kiss me in the middle of a banquet."

Her mother waved her hand. "It's disgusting, but they all do it."

"No, they don't," a deeper voice said from the entry way. Elena snapped her head up to see that Darcy had just arrived.

Now this little party was complete.

"There you are," his mother said. "I did tell you we'd be here at four."

"Traffic," he replied shortly.

"You didn't tell me," Gigi retorted.

Elena tried to slip away, but this time it was Ms. De Bourgh who stopped her. "Would you bring us some Evian before you go? We're having a bit of a powwow before we go to Rio for the Olympics."

"Mom," Darcy started, "she's not—"

"No, it's fine," Elena said, a little vindictively. Just let him be embarrassed by his mom treating her like a waitress or a servant. She'd been wrong about Wick, dead wrong, but Darcy had still been insulting and Elena had not forgiven him.

She brought back five water bottles and put them on the table by Darcy. He looked extremely uncomfortable. It got worse when his mother flicked her finger at Elena in a clear "shooing" gesture mid-sentence, waving her off like a fly.

Gigi stood. "Let me walk you out."

"We're in the middle of something," her mother said. "Now this hotel may be new, but what part of the city—"

"I'll be right back, Mom." Gigi took Elena's arm and pulled her back toward the kitchen. "I'm so sorry, she can be awful."

"So can my mom," Elena admitted. "Not like that, but in her own way." She hugged Gigi and patted her back. "Hang in there, chica."


	25. Chapter 25

Darcy called Fitz a week later. Despite being good friends, it was rather unusual on his part.

"I need a favor," Darcy said.

"And I would normally say 'anything' but your tone of voice makes me nervous."

"It's... complicated. And personal."

"Wild guess: something to do with Elena?"

"Did Gigi say something?"

"Not exactly. But her urgent need to talk after the concert lasted about five minutes. It wasn't too hard to realize I'd been extracted."

Darcy cringed with embarrassment. He hadn't asked Gigi to get Fitz out of the way. He'd only asked whether she would mind taking the limo so he could drive Elena home. Gigi decided on her own to remove Fitz from the picture. That alone was embarrassing, that she'd assumed Elena would never accept a ride from him if Fitz were there.

Clearly, Gigi had been correct. That was also humiliating.

And now Fitz thought Darcy had tried to cut him out.

"I was an idiot, alright?" Darcy said. "That part was Gigi's idea, but... Look, I recently shared Wick's story with Elena. It's a lot to process and she doesn't want to talk to me. Then my mom met Elena. Insulted her pretty thoroughly. I was hoping you might find out if Elena needs a... sounding board."

"Wait. Why did you share any of that mess with her? I know you're not good at small talk, but yikes, man."

"I wasn't making _small talk_. Elena's friends with Wick. He met her when he followed Gigi to Spear Lake."

Fitz said a bad word.

"Yeah. I wanted her to know the truth about him. If he still has contacts in the trafficking world, she needs to be aware."

"I get it. But even on a short acquaintance, I know she's not the type to get sucked into that."

"True, but..." Darcy almost explained that her parents were undocumented. He knew that young undocumented immigrants were at higher risk for exploitation, and also the children of undocumented immigrants. There would be danger in going to the police to report anything.

Darcy couldn't tell Fitz that. It wasn't his family to expose. "I just wanted her to know. I'm pretty sure he was with her at the rally where she got tear-gassed. I don't want her thinking she can depend on him."

"So what do you want me to do? I don't have her number. I probably _would_ have, if certain people hadn't interfered."

Darcy felt a surge of jealousy. Would Fitz have had her number by the end of the night? If he had asked to drive Elena home, would she have happily said yes? Could he handle it if they started dating after his interference?

The answer was no, shouted by his mind and his body.

But Darcy was stronger than that. He felt that he owed Elena. He'd treated her like an extension of his own thoughts rather than her own person. And now he'd destroyed her friendship with Wick. He was glad about that part, but maybe he could make up for the loss of that friend by offering her one much better.

"Are you still there?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah, sorry. You could see Elena the next time she trains Gigi. I just want to make sure she's...okay."

Fitz was quiet for a long while.

"Alright," he said finally. "See you around."

#

When Elena saw the receptionist tracking her down again, after one of her sessions at the gym, she was incredulous. Surly Darcy was satisfied. He'd explained himself, humiliated her for trusting Wick, and sat there while his mom insulted her. What else could he possibly have to say?

The receptionist smiled. "I don't know what you have going on, but I want in. There's another guy out front. Kinda short, funny. And cute."

"Fitz," Elena said. She greeted him out front, happy but wary. "How did I earn a break in your busy schedule? Are you going to make me a star?"

"There are much more unlikely possibilities," he said lightly. "I was wondering if you had time for coffee or lunch, and since you told me where you work... I swung by."

"Sure thing. I have a half hour break now. You wanna go across the street?"

The traffic was light, so they dashed across the street instead of going all the way down to the crosswalk.

"Darcy would not be okay with this at all," Fitz laughed.

Elena raised one eyebrow. "Do we care?"

Fitz looked embarrassed. "No. He just came to mind."

Elena sighed. "You didn't just come to see me, did you? Darcy told you to come?"

"Sort of."

Elena rubbed her dazzled eyes as they entered the relative dark of the coffee shop. "That man is unbelievable. He seriously can't leave well enough alone."

"For what it's worth, he's only like that with people he cares about."

"That makes it better?"

"Let's grab some food."

"You're deflecting."

"I'm hungry," Fitz retorted.

When they sat together near a window, Elena propped her chin in her hand, and lifted her sandwhich. "If you're going to tell me Wick is scum, I already got the message."

"Great."

"That's it? Darcy didn't give you any more messages?"

Fitz eyed her while he finished a bite. "I may have little pride left, but I'm not passing notes like a thirteen-year-old. Darcy mentioned he'd told you all about Gigi, so I thought I'd debrief you, as one of her official "support staff." He used air quotes with a smile.

"Sorry. I'm a little defensive."

"No worries. Darcy brings that out in everyone."

"I do appreciate you coming by, but I don't have much to say. Of course I feel awful for Gigi and about what happened, but that doesn't change anything."

"Then I have another question for you. I admit, it didn't occur to me until this moment, but now I think I'm a genius. You know Giana has a tour this summer? I want you to go with her."

"What?"

"Technically she needs an assistant, but really I'm scared of her being out there alone without a close girl friend. The schedule can be punishing and all she has to do is pick up a phone and ask for a pill. I know I'm totally playing a manipulative, _help the addict_ card, but I think you would be perfect."

"I—you're not playing a card at all. That's a totally legit worry and you're trying to take care of her. Only… I'm sorry, but I already used vacation to help my parents in May. Is it very long?" Elena didn't know much about tours, but she'd heard Adele would be on the move for months.

"Three weeks," Fitz said. "It's not so long."

It was long to anyone with a normal job, but Elena didn't want to make him feel bad.

"I just… I can't afford to lose my job," Elena said. "It's not just the money. I need the experience to put on my resume when I graduate."

"If you could do this and have the job when you came back, you wouldn't mind coming?"

"No, of course not. I love hanging out with her." But would Darcy be there? "I'm not sure her mom, or… or Darcy would want me there."

"Darcy will be back in D.C. the whole time. And her mom…well, she doesn't decide who Gigi hire. She might be a pain, but if you think you could bear her company, that would be amazing. I know it's a lot to ask."

"But are you sure Gigi would even want me to come? Doesn't she have any close friends?"

"Yes… and no. She had several good friends who started college last year. She felt rather left behind, I think. The friends she made during her time with Wick… were not great."

"Oh. I'm just not sure my boss would go for another absence…"

Fitz shook his head. "What's your boss's name and how can I get in touch with them?"

"Wait—you haven't even checked with Gigi!"

"I will, but if you're okay with it, I'll call after that. You'd be surprised how much people enjoy helping celebrities. I'll get her on the phone if I need to."

Elena felt a bit blindsided. This was not how she'd expected the conversation to go. Rather than losing touch, it looked like she might be woven more tightly into Gigi's strange life. And the Darcy family's as well. Life was so weird.


	26. Chapter 26

Elena heard back soon that Gigi whole-heartedly approved the idea, and Fitz didn't lose any time smoothing things over with her boss. He must be good at that sort of thing, because Elena was cleared.

Elena had been keeping too many secrets from Noa—but for some reason it was Gigi's invitation to join her tour crew that broke Elena down.

"I️'d love to do it," she told her sister. "Because I️ like Gigi and I️ know she's struggling to find her feet after...coming back." But that took more explanation, of what Gigi was coming back from and why she was worried. Noa was incensed. "How dare they use her to lure girls into their net? That's the worst thing I've ever heard. I️ can hardly believe that of anyone."

"I️ can. If you spent more time with him, you'd believe it. I️ couldn't put my finger on it the day of the rally, though I️ knew something was off. He's so convincing I think even _he_ believes whatever he does is right. He probably rationalized that he was helping Gigi with her career while also profiting off the tabloid stories and inside scoops into her life."

"But you liked him, didn't you? You're the one who says five minutes real conversation can tell you everything you need to know."

Elena winced. "Did I really sound that arrogant? Never mind, I know you'll never say so. But gosh. I've been so stupid, Noa."

"One mistake doesn't—"

"More than one. I judged Darcy pretty harshly—on Wick's word, of course—but only because it aligned with my gut dislike of him. I was such an idiot."

"Oh?" Noa said. "You never did explain why Darcy told you about his sister."

Elena groaned. "It was really bad. He asked me out. I basically called him—let me think—racist, arrogant, cruel, stupid, and a bad brother."

Noa was silent, no doubt stricken dumb in horror.

"In retrospect, I regret how I put it."

"Poor Darcy," Noa finally got out. "Especially if he thought you might like him and then got _that_ in response... But you had no way of knowing the truth. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"I'm not. You're my own private therapist, I'm feeling better already. And although he's not as bad as I thought him, he's far from okay."

Noa sniffed. "I never thought there was anything wrong with him. It was obvious he liked you when they were here, and that showed good taste."

She paused after that and Elena wasn't sure how to fill the silence. Charles had shown good taste in falling for Noa, but that hadn't helped them. "Did he ever write back to you?" Elena asked quietly. "After you responded to that one email?"

"No. But I didn't exactly ask him to," Noa said, with dignity. "It would have been nice if he'd written once more, just to say, "No hard feelings." But it's fine. I'm over it."

"Are you?"

"Of course. I think I read more into it than was there, anyway. How well could I really know someone after two weeks?"

Elena so wanted to tell Noa that she wasn't wrong, that she had read exactly what was there...but why should Elena destroy whatever acceptance she had?

Noa continued, "Back to you, why on Earth _wouldn't_ you go on tour with her? Will it overlap with school?"

"No, we'll be back before classes start. And having this on my resume, even if it doesn't quite fit with my training, would only be helpful."

"That's good then."

"Maybe too good. Am I being a bad friend to her if I do this because it'll help me?"

Noa almost snorted. "If it's not one hundred percent selfless, you think you're a bad friend? You have high standards for somebody who's always telling me to lighten up."

"It sounds stupid when you put it like that."

"But I would never call you stupid."

Elena laughed, "Nicely done. You're getting some bite to you these days."

Wick texted Elena several times as well, and she didn't reply. What could she say?

She felt incredibly stupid for not realizing what he was like. She'd read those stories describing how he'd lured Gigi into a 'fast' lifestyle, and the rumors that he'd been sharing their life together in the tabloids and she'd discredited it all.

And seen from this angle, the rally looked different too. He'd encouraged those guys to start a fight and he'd been right there to document it, just like he always did. Of course, he'd got more than he bargained for that time. Or had he? He'd certainly been moaning and groaning but he'd perked up when he wanted to.

She still wasn't sure why he'd asked to come over that night. Was there some underhanded reason or had he really just wanted to avoid his apartment?

Either way, it had been weird.

Elena was shocked when she came home and found him in the courtyard. He sat at a table with Carl, and there were several stacks of papers around them.

"What's this?" Elena demanded.

Carl looked up happily. "Your friend came back to apply for that position."

Wick nodded firmly. "I know I may not fit all the requirements, but I thought I'd give it a try. I was just telling Carl, I know it's a big job, but if he was willing to show me the ropes, I'd be off to a great start."

Elena found this suck-up speech faintly nauseating.

"It's hard work," Elena said. "Cleaning, contracting, flipping apartments. Is that really your style?"

Wick gave her a quick questioning look. "Sure it is. How's it going with Gigi, by the way? She staying clean?"

Elena gasped. "How dare you ask that?"

"I just want the best for her. What, is Darcy getting to you already?" Wick asked. He explained to Carl, "Elena is training this popstar I used to date, but I wasn't good enough for them."

"No, you weren't," Elena said, with emphasis. "How's your aunt?"

"She's...okay," Wick said slowly.

"Give her my best."

Elena left them in the courtyard, but later that evening, she found herself knocking on Carl's door.

It was probably stupid to ask him for a favor, but she didn't know how fast that application would go through.

She tried to get it out as quickly as possible when Carl opened the door.

"I know I introduced you to Wick, but he would be a terrible employee. We're not friends anymore, because I found out...that he took advantage of a friend. It's possible he's an addict as well, though I can't say for sure."

Carl looked very serious.

Elena continued, "I don't want him to make you look bad with the management company owner. And I really don't want him around this building."

"Thank you Elena. I'm sure it was hard to make this confession—"

"It's not a confession."

"And I appreciate your concern for my reputation. For property managers, as you may or may not realize, a reputation for shoddy work or untrustworthy practices can be the end of a career. Particularly when, like myself, they've been given an unusual level of promotion at an early stage of their career—"

"Is it really early?"

"And there are those who are jealous of my success. Of course, now I'll have to keep looking, and if the position should still be vacant—"

"Right. Good luck with that," Elena said, waving goodbye. She pitied the person who would end up with Carl, either as his assistant or his girlfriend. It wasn't even that he talked too much, although he did, it was the entire lack of a sense of humor.

Elena shook her head. At least she'd spared him from hiring Wick.

Wick texted her only once more. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear."


	27. Chapter 27

Elena didn't hear much from Gigi during the Olympics, but found herself talking on the phone with her cousin Mireya every day for a week. Mireya's boyfriend had really gone too far this time, and she was at a loss. Her parents were driving her crazy, and she desperately wanted to get another job than working for her mom at the coffee shop.

Elena wasn't sure it was a good idea, but she offered, "You could stay with me. I still don't have a roommate. I would need help with rent pretty soon, but I could spot you for a while. The boys… I don't know, but maybe we could figure out a plan with my neighbor, Ana?"

Mireya thanked her, but didn't immediately take her up on it.

So when the doorbell rang late in the evening several days later, she opened it a crack and then flinched in surprise as Valerie threw herself forward and hugged her.

"What are you doing here?" Elena gasped. "Did Mom and Dad bring you?"

Valerie squealed. "Nope! I had the most awesome idea. And whatever Mireya says, it was totally my idea. We're moving in with you." Valerie pushed past her while Elena was struck dumb with the announcement.

"You have to be nice to Mireya," Valerie added, kicking off her shoes. "She feels bad about coming without really asking."

"I offered," Elena said. "But with you and the boys—there's only one-bedroom!"

"You still have two twin beds, right? Plus the couch. Boom, three beds. Mireya's boyfriend is being an absolute jerk, and she needed to get away."

"I know, but…"

"They don't have enough hours for her at the coffee shop. And Mireya was so depressed and I was like, 'We can go crash with Elena while you find a new job!'"

Elena narrowed her eyes. "And so that YOU can follow me around and bug Gigi?"

"I'm not going to bug her! You are so vindictive."

"I don't think that means what you think it means."

"Well, it's totally unfair for you to get to be her bestie and not me! You don't even like her music!"

"I do now."

"Unfair," Valerie repeated. "Anyway, I won't be here forever, school starts in August. But I know you don't have a roommate, so you have no excuse."

Elena but her lip. She had lots of excuses, but there was no reasoning with Valerie. She was so entitled.

"You didn't even help Mireya bring in the kids?" Elena demanded.

"No. Luis had just thrown up. He was carsick. I told her I would break the news to you and you would be thrilled and come out to tell her."

Elena huffed. "She's waiting out there in the heat? Why didn't you say so?"

She slipped on her flip flops and ran down to the courtyard and out to the road. There wasn't much street parking, so Mireya's car was parked nearly a block away, under a street light. Elena heard the baby crying and jogged over to her. Mireya seemed to be cleaning Luis off, standing on the sidewalk by the open car door. "Elena, I know this is nuts. I'm sorry."

"No! It's great to see you. I told you to come. I just can't believe you're here." Elena squeezed her cousin's plump shoulders in a hug and saw Mireya wipe a tear. Mireya's life was hard and they'd been friends for years. Elena felt like a heel for having a bad attitude. Mireya had made some mistakes, but honestly, if Elena hadn't been able to go to college and look forward with her life, she could totally be in the same shoes.

Mireya wiped two-year-old Luis with another baby wipe. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I had to get out of there."

"Then I'm glad you came here."

"You're always so kind, but nobody wants all of this." She jerked her head at the pile of dirty wipes in the car.

"Well, okay yeah, maybe we can tie a trash bag to Luis's waist? I have adjustable drawstring bags."

Mireya laughed.

"I should probably bag Valerie, too. She's as messy as them."

"True. I felt like I had three babies in the car."

Elena smiled for real as she unbuckled Mike, the actual baby, and lifted him from the car. "Hey, papa! You're getting so big." She thought uncertainly of everything she didn't have: crib, high chair, swing, bibs, bottles... Maybe she could borrow some things from her neighbors.

Mireya elaborated a bit more as they walked back to the apartment, and Elena reassured her. Really, she was fine with having Mireya as a temporary or even a long-term roommate. As long as Mireya could get a job pretty soon and help with rent a little...because Elena _did_ need that.

Carl seemed to have a sixth sense for the courtyard gate and appeared as they all came in.

Elena introduced him to Mireya. "I guess I need to have you fill out a new renter form. Background check and all that." He smiled the smile of someone who loves paperwork too much. What was wrong with him?

Mireya blanched. She was on the DACA list as well, which gave her a valid ID, but sometimes it could still cause problems.

Elena waved her hand. "We don't know for sure it'll work out. I'll let you know what we decide."

"Elena, while you're here—"

She jiggled the baby. "Sorry, Mikey is heavy, we have to go before my arms fall off."

Back in her apartment, Valerie was lying on the couch texting. She already looked perfectly at home.

Luis immediately clambered up on her. "Game! Game! Game!" he shouted.

Elena shifted the baby to her other hip. He was nine months old, but seemed to weigh almost as much as his brother.

"Do Mom and Dad even know you're here?" Elena asked Valerie.

"Yeah. They said I could go."

"They did?" Elena was shocked. But then she reconsidered. She could just picture how Valerie whined and complained until her dad was willing to let her go alone with Mireya.

Elena got Mireya situated with a pillow to nurse Mikey and went into her bedroom.

She shut the door and called her dad.

"I'm sorry," he said when he answered the phone. "There's no bearing Valerie when she's like this."

Elena sighed. "When can I bring her home? Saturday?"

"Elena, is it so bad to let her stay with you? It's her last summer in high school. I know you didn't get to have that carefree experience, but that doesn't mean we should deny it to your sister."

"It's not that exactly. It's just...this is LA. There's a lot more ways to get in trouble here than in Spear Lake. I'm not going to be with her constantly. In fact, I got a side job and I might leave for a few weeks."

"I doubt she'll join a gang or a circus in that time."

"I'm serious, Dad. Valerie wants attention so badly, she'll do stupid things. And LA is built on exploiting people like her."

"She won't be content until she's gone somewhere this summer, and this is the only thing I can afford. I'm sorry, sweetie. We sent her with some money to help with groceries."

Elena swallowed her anger. Her dad sounded so tired and defeated. "It's fine. It's not the money, exactly. I'll give it a try."

Elena slowly squeezed a pouch of applesauce into the baby's mouth at lunch the next day. She'd gone into the gym early as usual, this time tiptoeing around so as not to wake the kids. She'd come back at lunch with groceries since she'd known there was little but milk and cereal to eat.

Elena winced at Mireya, who was changing Luis's dirty diaper. "Do you get used to this?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not like Noa. She was born to be a mom. She's better with them than I am."

Elena knew two young kids were a lot of work, but having them in her own apartment was an eye opener. And despite being in a weird place with only what she'd brought in her car, Mireya had already cleaned her kitchen and vacuumed.

Elena wiped the baby's chin. "You guys are going to have the apartment to yourselves for a few weeks. I'm actually glad you're here so I don't have to worry about shutting off utilities or anything."

She explained and Valerie was ecstatic when she learned that Elena was going on Gigi's tour. Then she was furious when she learned she couldn't go.

"It's not a field trip," Elena said. "It's a job."

"It's the _coolest_ job! I can do something. I know, make her hire me as her makeup artist!"

"I can't 'make' her do anything. And she already has somebody for that, I met her. She has a business degree."

Valerie sulked. Elena clenched her teeth.

From there the conversation only went downhill as Valerie realized she would need to watch Mireya's kids while she tried to find a job. Elena was not terribly hopeful about that. Last night it seemed so possible, but in the morning light, less so. Then she'd have to figure who could watch the kids when she worked. Daycare was too expensive, and neither of their mothers were here.

Elena went back to work, leaving Valerie glaring and Mireya washing the kitchen floor, despite Elena telling her she didn't need to.


	28. Chapter 28

By the time the tour began, and Elena packed her suitcase and left the keys with Mireya, she was completely thankful to be away from Valerie. She felt bad for her at first, but Gigi had even offered Valerie a ticket for the nearest performance, and Valerie had nearly rejected it.

"I want to go on the tour," she complained to Elena. "Not just go to a concert like a stupid fan."

Elena had lost patience with her. It had been a tense couple of days.

She boarded Gigi's luxurious touring van—what they would be driving across country in—and started the weirdest few weeks of her life.

There was the driver, herself, Gigi, and a set of fashion, makeup, and show coordinators who took turns riding with them. Most of the crew—it seemed large to Elena, but Gigi assured her it wasn't—flew from city to city. They set up and coordinated while Gigi and her were driven to each new city.

A concert would be not quite every evening, but close. And at one or two in the morning, when Gigi was completely done, they would get in the van and recline their seats to sleep while being ferried to the next city.

They weren't kidding about the grueling schedule. Elena swore she would never complain about going to bed and getting up early again. She was not a night person.

It was interesting though. Her job was too easy, of course. Sometimes she felt like Gigi and the others just made up things for her to do so she'd feel needed. But on the other hand, she made sure Gigi got good nutrition, which wasn't easy when traveling like this. And she helped her get a little sun and exercise when she had an extra day. She defended her dressing room at times, and helped the others with odds and ends of packing and unpacking almost every day.

They had about a week left when they came to D.C., where Gigi would perform at the Capital One Arena the next night. She'd planned an extra day here, so that she could see her brother. Elena wasn't thrilled with the idea of hanging out with Darcy, but it had been long enough since their last awkward encounter, that it didn't seem too awful.

She wasn't prepared for Gigi to announce that they were going to his office as soon as they got into town though.

"Aren't you tired?" Elena said. Sleeping in the van was okay, but not the same as a bed.

"Not really. This is home for me, you know. I grew up in D.C. Anyway, I want to go see a friend who works there, and you should come. Darcy isn't there, by the way. He texted me that he probably won't get in until tomorrow. Some problem with the jet."

Elena agreed, curious to see the place where Darcy wove his political web, as long as he wasn't there.

It was larger than she expected. Five or six stories of gray stone with large windows and imposing columns. Elena was surprised to find the bottom floor a cheerful, bustling place though. A large, open workspace was filled with tables and a few desks. Colorful maps hung on the walls, with different districts highlighted and bright little flags bristling from key towns and cities. Not every state was represented, but to Elena's dazzled eyes it seemed that few were left out. Pictures of candidates interspersed the maps, and while they were mostly old white men, there were more than a few women and at least a few minorities. Lots of young people sat at the tables, making phone calls, working on laptops, and talking in small groups.

Elena wasn't sure what she'd expected; maybe a smoke-filled conference room and an evil mastermind with a black cat. This place had more the vibe of a college cafeteria or recruitment center.

"This is the volunteer area," Gigi explained. "They have rotating shifts to accommodate more groups."

There were offices around the central area, and Gigi pointed her to one in the back corner.

"That used to be my dad's. Now it's Darcy's. Feel free to look around. I'm going to see if I can find Mina."

No one paid attention to Elena as she wandered around the room. She listened to snippets of phone conversation. A poll question here, a candidate recommendation there. A squeal as a young guy hung up the phone and said, "We have Rempleton!"

Who or what that was, Elena didn't know, but a small cheer went up. There was an infectious kind of energy here that Elena enjoyed.

She peeked in the small window to Darcy's office but it was dim and hard to see.

"Can I help you?" A lady asked. She was old, and her black eyes contrasted with her beautiful white hair in a short, modern cut. "Did Gigi abandon you?"

Elena laughed. "I guess so. I was just looking around."

"Are you friends with Darcy, also? I'm his assistant."

"I only know him… a little. I was just scoping out his office. He never seems quite comfortable in California, as far as I can tell."

"Then you do know him," she laughed. "He should be back tomorrow."

"I heard. Have you worked for him long?"

"I have. And for his father before him. People like to say Darcy is the image of his father, but he's not. He's better. I won't work for anyone else in this godforsaken city."

Elena blinked at her sudden ferocity. "Wow."

"Anyone you ask would agree with me." She opened the door to Darcy's office with a key. "You can tell just by looking that he's organized and hard-working. But he's also honest and... I want to say patriotic, but you won't know what I mean by that. He loves the country and truly believes it can be great. Not _again_ ," she added with a wry smile. "But great like it never has been before."

"That almost sounds like a stump speech," Elena said. "You could campaign for him."

"No, I doubt he'll ever run. He's content to find and inspire and empower the people who will reach the top."

And he'll be there to advise and influence them, Elena added in her head. For once though, she wasn't judging him. Someone would be in that place, why shouldn't it be him? There were worse options.

"I have to admit, I don't agree with a lot of his politics," Elena said.

The lady smiled. "Not too many people do. He's too conservative for the liberals, too liberal for the conservatives."

"Really? I didn't have that impression. How so?"

She ticked off on her fingers, "Let's see, he's too soft on immigration for the Tea Party, too firm on gun control for the NRA, and too Big Government for the Libertarians. But then on the other side, he's far too conservative for the Democrats, too free market for the Bernites, too traditional for the radicals." She shook her head sadly. "I've been in the political fray for over fifty years, and it's completely polarized now. People like Darcy, with genuinely practical ideas, still have to take positions."

This was not the impression Elena had, but then, had she ever asked him specifically what he believed about anything? Or had she just assumed she knew exactly what he thought?

On the wall above his desk, hung a quote by Warren Wiersbe, 'Love without truth is hypocrisy. Truth without love is brutality." It was an odd choice, and she was about to ask his assistant, but the lady had pulled out her phone and put it to her ear.

"Excuse me," she said. "I'll be right back."

For the first time, looking around Darcy's office and feeling the energy and potential of the organization, Elena felt that it would have been something to come here as his girlfriend. Or even someday as his fiancé or wife. What a bizarre thought!

It was a little heady to think she might have influenced somebody with as much behind-the-scenes power as him. Could she have made a difference here?

She stopped herself. Darcy hadn't been interested in her politics, and he hadn't asked her to work with him, he'd asked her to date him. And she didn't regret saying no. Except for the way she'd said it.

But Elena did feel flattered, after seeing this huge building and all it represented, that he'd asked her out at all.

Elena looked at the other pictures in Darcy's office, curious about this manifestation of his personality. Who was he, really?

There were family photos on the near wall, and Elena studied the pictures of Gigi as a child and Darcy a teenager. There was quite the age gap. In most of them, Darcy had his arm around his little sister. Perhaps it was only the way the photographer arranged them, but Elena suspected he'd always been the one emotionally available to Gigi.

Then there was the pride wall, which Elena had expected. Lots of photos of Darcy shaking hands with famous people.

Another section of wall held a bunch of letters and snapshots, each neatly framed and labeled. She read a few and discovered they were updates and thank you notes from people in some kind of trade sponsorship program. It was bigger than the pride wall, at least.

A glass display case in the corner of the room held two antique books. She leaned close to read the titles, and then Darcy came in, briefcase and coffee in hand, and shut the door with his foot.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I'm loving the comments lately-thanks so much for the feedback! I recognize I'm going to be getting in more dangerous territory politically, so... I'm a little nervous about that. It's great to read your thoughts and try to figure out what Darcy's response would be. It's not easy! I've had more than one doubter that this Darcy and Elena could actually end up together, so I'm looking at it as a challenge. I hope I'm up to it. :-)**

 **Also, thanks for the heads-up about Gigi calling her brother Darcy- you're right, that is weird. There's a couple other continuity things you guys caught, which I really appreciate so I can go back and fix later.**

 **Anyway, thanks again for reading!**

 **Chapter 29**

Elena spun around and Darcy froze. His eyes roamed the office wildly for a second as if trying to figure out where she'd sprung from.

Elena's face flamed, and her heart just about stopped. What was he doing here so soon. She'd come in innocently—his assistant had been showing off!—but now it felt like she'd been caught snooping in his bedroom.

Elena cleared her throat. "Sorry. I —Gigi wanted to see her friend—I was just going."

Darcy set his briefcase down and then picked it up nervously. "No, it's fine. Gigi just got to town then?"

"Yes. They told me you wouldn't be here until tomorrow," Elena blurted out.

"I took another flight." His face was flushed and he seemed at a loss for words. Where was robotic Darcy when she needed him?

He rubbed his mouth and repeated. "You and Gigi drove in this morning?"

"Yes, we left our things at the hotel."

"Right."

"I'll get out of your way."

There was reluctance in his eyes but he just nodded. Elena slipped to the door and exited quickly. Her instinct was to lean against the shut door and breathe a huge sigh of relief, but then she realized at least ten of the volunteers were looking her way.

They must have seen Darcy come in. Elena tried to smile calmly as she walked around the perimeter of the room, but her body was not in calm mode. It was a struggle to keep her pace even and slow and her face from showing all the emotions she'd felt in the last two minutes. She couldn't help replaying Darcy's shocked expression and every one he'd had after that. Had he suddenly discovered human emotion or had she just been blind to his face before this?

Elena had just reached the lobby, where she was determined to wait quietly, when Darcy caught up to her.

"Elena, since you're here, can I give you a tour? You don't have to wait for Gigi out here."

"No. I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not," he said simply.

Elena tried to reconcile this new, surprisingly humble Darcy to the one she disliked and felt the onset of a stress headache. "I'm sure you have things to do…" she tried again.

He spread his hands. "I'm not expected till tomorrow. I have nothing but time." For you, his expression seemed to add.

Elena gave in, wondering both at herself and him.

Darcy led her up through the floors of the building, explaining what each section was for. Terms like local ground outreach and investor relations flowed past her. He greeted people by name, and easily told Elena anecdotes about them. When they were alone, a little of his awkwardness returned, but as soon as they were on the next floor, talkative Darcy was back. Elena wasn't sure how she felt about this, and only hoped she was making appropriate responses. It was like meeting a new person, but with all the awkwardness of an ex-boyfriend.

At the top floor, Darcy took her up a short flight of stairs to the roof.

The sun shone down in a white haze, and a fitful, hot wind blew her hair around. She followed Darcy to the edge of the roof where two cushioned wicker chairs sat on either side of a small pot-shaped heater. In the July sun, it was definitely unnecessary, but she could picture him up here on cold evenings. Who came with him? Gigi? Caroline?

In the distance, Elena spotted the towering Washington Monument and a bit of the bay.

"Nice view," she said.

"I love it. I used to come up here with my dad and look at the lights in the winter. It was so cold, but we didn't care. On election nights, Gigi and I sometimes came up together." He pointed. "You can see the edge of the capital dome there. That rectangular bit is the Lincoln Memorial." He picked out several more landmarks for her.

"I've only seen postcards before," Elena said. "It's never the same as the real city, is it? Even with the smog and traffic." She fanned herself in the hot sun. "The humidity is impressive though. I can see why they call it the Swamp."

He glanced at her, as if trying to gauge how much of a conversation she wanted to have. "Yeah, drain the swamp," he quoted. He hesitated, but didn't say anything else.

"What?" Elena asked.

He grimaced. "I resent the phrase, I guess. Politics is not as simple as people think. I understand the frustration behind the phrase, though…" he trailed off.

Elena shielded her eyes from the sun as she gazed at the nation's capital, and thought of all it represented. "Yeah, I guess draining the swamp would mean people like you, or the establishment politicians you support. But really, the hypocrisy, the obstruction, the _corruption_ … I'm genuinely not trying to pick a fight, but I don't understand how people can be proud to be Republican."

Darcy tilted his head. "The Republicans don't have a monopoly on consequentialism, you know, _the end justifies the means_. If Trump does somehow get elected, we'll probably see the same things on the left."

"I guess, but if Trump gets elected it would be…"

"Justified?" he finished.

Elena actually laughed, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "Well played."

He smiled slightly. "It's not that I disagree with you—Trump _will_ need to be obstructed if he is elected, he has no self-control as far as I can tell-but that also proves my point. Our disgust with any particular method goes way down when we think it's necessary. There's this great quote by de Tocqueville—he was a Frenchman who wrote about the American 'experiment'—and he said, 'There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.'"

Darcy had an earnest look on his face, and for the first time, Elena could see the political science nerd he probably was in high school. He continued, "Now, both parties are just shouting, "Shame!" at the other. Our principles have become so different, we don't even give people the dignity of their convictions." He cut himself off.

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry. I can go on and on, but I guess you know that. You should visit the Mall while you're here. See the sights."

"I don't know. Gigi is so busy and she's already seen it."

"But _you_ haven't. I'm sure she could spare you for a few hours."

Elena shrugged and they headed back downstairs. She wasn't sorry to end the conversation, but surprised to realize they'd actually had a political conversation that didn't fill her with rage.

Gigi was chatting in the volunteer room, and smiled brilliantly when they came back in.

"Of course you have to go sightseeing!" she told Elena, when Darcy explained. "But you shouldn't go alone."

"Would you go with me?" Darcy asked.

Elena wasn't sure where to look, there were too many eyes on her, and Darcy's were the most intense of all.

"Yeah, you should," Gigi agreed. "An insider tour. It's super cool."

"My boss has spoken," Elena said lightly. "I guess I will. But I warn you, I'm hard to impress."

Darcy grinned. "I'll bring my A-game."

Elena and Gigi headed out to the van, and Gigi kept glancing at her.

"You've gotta get that under control," Elena said. "Darcy isn't... it would never work, okay?"

Somehow, with all the hours they'd spent together in the van during the last two weeks, she'd never said it this bluntly. "We have nothing in common," Elena continued. "We disagree about some serious things. We're not really even friends."

They buckled into the bucket seats in the van and their driver took off, giving them a wave as she continued to listen to her music through her earphones.

Gigi glanced at her, probably to check if they had privacy, and then spread her hands innocently. "I didn't say anything! But since you brought it up... you _do_ have things in common with Will. Me, for one," she winked at Elena. "And you're both very smart, very hard-working, and very kind."

"And you're very optimistic."

"No way. You know I'm cultivating an edgy vibe for this release. You'd think addiction and rehab would do, but apparently it's not edgy enough."

Gigi had gotten much better at joking about her experiences, some of them at least, and Elena hoped that was a good thing. "Edgy does not include setting me up with your brother. Keep that in mind."

"But you would be so good for him. And, don't take this the wrong way, but he would be good for you. You can't end up with somebody less intelligent and passionate than you. You'd despise them."

"No—"

"Yes, you would," Gigi said firmly. "With me, with a lot of women, I don't think it would be a deal-breaker. But for you? No. And there's not that many people who could match you."

Elena shook her head. "I'm not that picky." But was she? She certainly hadn't dated in a long time, or even come close to respecting a guy enough to have a serious relationship.

"It's not a matter of pickiness," Gigi said thoughtfully. "I think it's your heart protecting you. Now me—obviously I made a huge mistake," Gigi swallowed convulsively but made herself move on. "Now, I only want someone honest and...and calm. Not the life of the party, you know? Someone who'll be happy to sit quietly at home with me. I don't care if he's smart, because that just...doesn't matter that much to me."

Elena shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't matter that much to me either."

"You read textbooks for fun," Gigi said incredulously. "I've seen the books on your phone."

Elena laughed. "Fair point."

They relapsed into silence for the rest of the drive. Elena suspected that Gigi had a point, but just because Elena might want someone extraordinary, didn't mean she would get it. Or that Darcy was that guy. Even if he was, could they build a bridge between their differing viewpoints? Probably not, though Elena reminded herself that she may have stereotyped him unfairly and still didn't know exactly what he thought about many things.

The awkwardness today wasn't about attraction or affection, it was just the first meeting after an argument. And his overt effort to show her around and be friendly was probably him trying to prove her wrong. To prove that he wasn't a reclusive, self-centered jerk.

She'd already admitted to herself that she'd been wrong about many of her facts, now she couldn't help wondering if she was wrong about the rest.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Ugh, I'm sorry this took me so long! The chapter was already written but I wanted to go back and edit based on some ideas I've gotten in the comments... But in reality, editing is just not going to happen right now with starting a new semester of teaching. So I thought I'd go ahead and post the version I have - please feel free to let me know how Darcy and Elena's conversations do or do not work for ya. Thanks! - Corrie**

Darcy picked Elena up at nine the next morning so they'd have time to sightsee before Gigi needed her in the afternoon.

Elena got in the car warily. The last drive with him had been so awful, she was worried the residual karma might linger in it like a smell.

But of course, this wasn't the same car he'd used in LA. This car was new and it seemed like Darcy was, too.

He immediately asked how the tour was going for Gigi, and that put Elena at ease. She shook her head. "I wish I could tell you more, but I honestly feel like a paid tag-along. I've heard the ticket numbers are good, and that the T-shirt sales are surprisingly up. Other than that, they just tell me what city we're going to and I google a few places to order food. I'm obviously earning every penny of my salary," Elena laughed.

Darcy smiled. "I'm sure you are."

"I almost feel guilty for telling Valerie she couldn't come. I thought I'd be working, but I barely am. We spend most of our time driving across the country in the van."

"I've always liked the idea of a cross-country road trip, but I've never had the time. Or anybody to do it with."

Elena paused. Was that meant for her? "I wish I could recommend Gigi, but she snores when she sleeps and refuses to sing her songs in the car with us. She says she has enough of that during the tour and makes us listen to Taylor Swift."

He laughed. "Horrible."

"Yeah, it's unnerving how it grows on you. I was humming one of her songs as I woke up today."

"Are you a morning person?"

"Yes, definitely. After ten p.m. I am not answerable for my actions or memory. These concerts are insane. I don't know how Gigi handles it. What about you? Morning?"

"Out of necessity, yes. But it's probably good I live alone since I'm in a horrible mood when I get up."

Darcy almost bit back the words. He didn't mean to refer to his living situation, and he hadn't meant to tack on that bit about road-tripping with someone. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but the truth was that he _was_ lonely. And Elena made him think about the possibility of not being alone. And little things kept slipping out.

Thankfully she didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she was just good at glossing over words she didn't want to deal with.

Darcy explained the circular road system as they sat in the traffic. "It's the opposite of LA, basically. Methodical and consistent."

"I can see why you like it better here."

Darcy shrugged uncomfortably. "I do, but I must admit that both Hollywood and politics are all about people-pleasing."

She grimaced. "You're not wrong about that."

Darcy watched her turn her attention out the window. What was she thinking? Darcy was trying to see the day from her perspective.

Ever since her scathing rejection, he'd been pondering how he related to people. It was true that he'd always struggled with empathy. He was not great at getting into people's heads. Individual people, that is.

Give him a demographic projection and several PEW polls and he was good. But one person? No way.

Darcy realized he was doing it again. Getting lost in his own thoughts and not interacting with the person he'd been thinking about for weeks. He couldn't complain about being alone when he never made the effort to get to know her.

"Maybe I could learn something from them," Darcy said. "The people-pleasers, I mean. In my job, with all the influence and power I stepped into when my dad passed away, I never had to adjust. I didn't have to rise through the organization and please first one boss and then another. I probably would have benefitted from it, honestly."

Darcy felt ridiculously vulnerable sharing this with her. She hadn't asked. She probably didn't care. She probably wondered why he was blurting out personal weaknesses.

"That's interesting. I don't think of people-pleasing as a strength. Usually it means somebody only cares about popularity, not substance. But I hear what you're saying. There must be an opposite that's dangerous too."

"Exactly. I try to live by my principles and I don't change my mind easily. But I...I'm not used to trying to make my ideas palatable. That's the politicians' job, I've always thought. But really it's just an excuse to bulldoze past people's feelings."

Elena bit her lip. "I hope you've given those principles a lot of thought. Since you change your mind so rarely."

Darcy glanced uneasily at her, but she didn't look angry, only thoughtful. "I have. Even more so in the last few months."

Darcy was relieved to find that they could talk easily, and the next few hours passed quickly for him. After they'd walked the length of the monument's reflection pool, admired the outdoor memorials, and taken a brief tour of the museum she'd chosen, it was lunch time. Darcy had originally planned to take Elena somewhere nice, but he'd thought better of it. He was scared something ambitious might jar their tenuous good-will.

Except for the fear of it all crashing down, Darcy was having a wonderful time. Mainly because he felt Elena was too.

He took her to Farragut Square for lunch, to one of the underground food courts, and let her buy her own food, though that felt all kinds of wrong.

Elena wanted to keep walking with their food, so she could look around, so they did. Darcy was more used to protracted business dinners and lunches, but he tried to act casual, like he did this all the time.

Elena saw several university signs and sighed. "Did Gigi tell you Valerie is living with me for the summer? I don't know what she's going to do when she's a out of high school. She doesn't even want to try college, and honestly, she probably wouldn't do well, since she hates reading."

Darcy shook his head. "If she doesn't want to, don't push her. There are so many kinds of jobs that don't require a degree."

"Like flipping burgers?" Elena asked. Did Darcy think that's all Valerie was good for? Menial labor? It was one thing for her to complain about her sister's lack of motivation; it was another for him to insult Valerie. Not that some menial labor might not be good for Valerie's character...

"No. Good jobs," Darcy said. "Technician. Phlebotomist. Cook. Hospice care. And that's just off the top of my head, and leaving out the ones your sister might not be strong enough to do. I know they're not exciting or glamorous, maybe. But they can pay well and there are a _ton_ of these jobs. Did you know there are over six million skilled labor jobs vacant right now? Young people are being shunted toward college and debt when there are better, faster options. I can't stand it. It's setting them up for failure, and the economy for crisis." Elena glanced at him. When he got excited and went off about something, he was so...earnest. He had a kind of Captain America civic leadership vibe right now, that... was kind of attractive. But only when he was going off about something she agreed with him on.

"Isn't it easy for you to say these are good jobs when you don't have to do one of them? When, frankly, you've always been in the top one percent?"

"Fair enough, but the data backs up my position. People need to make a certain amount above poverty to be happy—money does buy happiness to a certain extent—but after that minimum level, your average welder or mechanic is happier than the cubicle worker or executive. They're even happier than your average doctor or lawyer."

"Says who?"

"I read a lot of poll data. You have to take some of it with a grain of salt, but they're usually on to something. Sorry. The trade field is a soapbox of mine."

"You really love jobs."

Darcy sighed. "I learned the mid-West work ethic from my father. He hated the phrase, "Work smarter, not harder." Yes, work smart, but work hard, too. That's part of the reason—" he broke off abruptly.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was heading toward areas we probably wouldn't enjoy discussing."

"Immigrants? Go ahead. I promise not to slap you around. See? My hands are occupied." She held up the sandwich she was working on. "So what about jobs and immigrants?"

He started slowly. "It always comes up—do undocumented immigrants take jobs from citizens? And the answer is both yes and no. Immigrants _do_ work hard, most of them, but that's part of the issue. It's not just that they're willing to work for lower wages that undercut citizens, they're often willing to work harder. I think," he checked her expression, "I think the way to solve that is not to deport them, but to change Americans' view of hard work."

"Are you just saying something I want to hear so I don't wipe mayonnaise on your tie in retaliation?" Elena realized belatedly that she was almost flirting with him. They were discussing something important, she had to pull herself together.

He made a face. "Gross. Is that a thing you would do? But no, I really believe that. I told you once, not all conservatives are anti-immigrant."

"Okay, so what's the flip side? I know you haven't spilled it yet."

"The flip side?" He sighed. "There has to be better control of our borders. Legal immigration needs to be faster—like light years faster—but the illegal flow..." he looked at her again.

"My parents didn't swim the Rio Grande, if that's what you're wondering. They came on visas and just...stayed."

"And if everyone who does that is allowed to stay...that sends a pretty clear message to those who would follow. No matter how many people I sponsored or jobs that were created, even in a perfect world, the work would still be finite. It's simple economics. The door to the country can't be wide open all the time."

Elena nodded, speaking quietly and genuinely wanting to know the answer, "So, my mom and dad, who have paid taxes for twenty years, by the way, should be deported as a lesson to others? They wanted to extend their visas, but they couldn't. They don't have some tiny right to the life they've created?"

"It's harsh, but, no...legally they don't. If you steal a van and turn it into a food truck and make a thriving business—it's still a stolen truck."

"But what did they steal? The air? The ground? They don't have government insurance, even Obamacare. They never received food stamps or assistance. My sisters and I did go to public school, but then we also pay taxes. So what did we steal?"

Darcy grimaced. "Should your parents be deported? No. There are different tiers of undocumented immigrants and they would be on one of the safest levels. After the DACA list, of course."

Elena sighed sharply. It was rather amazing that they could have this conversation after everything that had passed between them. And rather amazing that Elena found him sincere this time. And...she could see what he was saying. But did he get her side?

"If Trump gets elected, there won't be any safe tier. It may not be my parents, but it'll be somebody's parents." Elena took another sip of her drink and Darcy waited, sensing that she wasn't done. "The hardest part is knowing that Noa is considered a criminal. She is the sweetest, most patient and loving person in the world. But the adjective she grew up with was _illegal_. Her life here is a crime, and unless she's willing to give it up, it always will be." Elena felt an unexpected tear slide down her cheek. She normally had better control than this.

Darcy tentatively put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I wish the world was better than this. I wish our options were better."

Elena rubbed her eyes with the back of hand. "Yeah, me too."


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Interesting discussion, thanks! Particularly AmyNW, Lynned13, HarnGin and some others... I want to go ahead and say that Darcy won't be dumping his party and convictions, so if that's going to ruin it for you, the cat is out of the bag! But as AmyNW pointed out (and I agree) the biggest issue is not necessarily that they disagree, but that he's begun to compromise with things he doesn't believe in, and that is where I was planning to have Darcy's growth happen. I put that in later in the story, but I should probably back that part up to a previous chapter, so that by this point, he is a bit more redeemed...!**

 **Anyway, Darcy still has a ways to go, but this chapter moves away from the political as we get back into the swing of the story... Thanks again!**

After they threw away the trash from their lunch, Elena saw a Starbucks and checked if Darcy would mind waiting while she got coffee.

Everyone in line had their phone out. That wasn't uncommon, exactly, but it hit her that she'd seen a lot of people unusually glued to their phones that morning. The lady in front of her was slowly spinning in place with her phone held up like a camera. When she was pointed at them, Elena had to ask, "Are you playing a game?"

The lady's eyes refocused from her phone to Elena. "Yeah, Pokémon Go. They just released it this weekend and it's awesome. There's one right behind you."

"I heard something about that game," Elena said.

The next guy in line chimed in, "There's a pokestop a block away at the Greek church, by the way."

They got into a discussion about it, and Elena pulled out her phone.

"Are you going to download it?" Darcy asked. There was a hint of his old superciliousness in his voice.

"No," Elena said, as she got into the App Store. "I despise joining in pop culture and participating in peasant activities."

Darcy sighed. "That's not what I meant."

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Not exactly what I meant," he amended honestly. "I don't play games on my phone, but I don't judge people who do."

Elena waved her Pokémon screen at him. "I'm feeling judged."

Elena could tell he was on the point of getting stiff, but with an almost visible effort, he relaxed his shoulders and smiled. "Okay. I'll prove it. This is a morning off. I'll download it."

Unpolished Darcy, trying to be considerate and not sure he was succeeding, was so much more appealing than robot Darcy. Elena fleetingly wondered whether this was a temporary act for her benefit, but couldn't believe he was that good an actor.

By the time she got her drink, they'd got the idea of it. As they walked through the food court, Elena bagged three more. Darcy complained about the difficulty of aiming the balls at the characters, but Elena had no sympathy. "You can't expect to be good at it right away. I've played a lot of PianoTiles to be this good."

Darcy turned away from her and paused, flicking at his phone. "There. I got one. Finally." He put his phone in his pocket and Elena laughed at his expression.

"You're supposed to collect more than one. Don't you think it's cool how they make it overlay the real world?"

Darcy admitted it was cool, and Elena relented by putting her own phone away and choosing another museum to visit after lunch, though they only had an hour. As they waited in line at the ticket counter, Elena asked, "What kind of museum goer are you? Do you read everything? Do you prefer a tour group? Alone?"

"I'm sure you expect me to say alone, and I don't want to satisfy you, so I'll say..." he thought for a moment. "I prefer to go with one or two people whom I know, who don't have squeaky shoes or chew gum, and are more interested in the museum than the people in it."

Elena laughed. "That was unexpectedly specific. You sound like you speak from experience."

"I do. What about you?"

"I mainly just avoid going with Valerie, because she only cares if the guys in the paintings are hot. And half the time she starts snapchatting pictures of herself and then we get in trouble with the guards."

Elena found that even in the museum people were playing Pokémon Go, and she struck up a conversation with a kid who told her there was a hot spot in the back corner of the museum garden.

"Are we really going out to the garden for that?" Darcy asked.

"I wanted to see the garden anyway," Elena said. "If you play, you'll have more fun."

Darcy did get his phone back out. In the formal garden, beautiful but sweltering in the high summer, there were at least fifty other people milling around, catching Pokémon.

"Alright, this is amazing," Darcy admitted. "The whole city is playing this game."

"The whole world is playing this game," a woman said. She stopped to compare collections, but Elena shook her head. "We just started, we're way behind."

Elena found Darcy looking at her and was slightly unnerved. "What?"

He turned away. "I liked the way that sounded. Here's another one."

Darcy dropped off Elena in front of Gigi's hotel, and though he drove smoothly, he almost stuttered as he said goodbye. "I've had—this was—I hope you had a good time."

Darcy had so much enjoyed the five hours with her, he almost wished he'd not come home early and it had not happened. Before today, when he considered with regret how things had ended, he could console himself that the reality would have fallen far short of his imagination. He'd tried to picture how little they would actually have to say to one another if they'd dated. He tried to convince himself he was lucky to have escaped from an infatuation that would never have worked.

Now, darn it, all his peace-of-mind was gone. He liked Elena more than ever. And for the first time, she'd been having a good time, too. Even when they'd discussed sensitive topics and touched on Noa, she hadn't shut him out. He'd told himself that they were too different, that she would never look past the political stereotypes to see his actual self, but… maybe?

And the last hour at the museum, walking the paths of the garden, playing a silly game, had been the most fun he'd had in months.

"It was fun," Elena agreed, getting out of the car. "I wish Gigi and I were going to be in DC longer."

Darcy did too, so much so that he could almost taste it. If they were going to be here longer, he might have a chance to cement something real with Elena. Intellectually, he knew he could pursue his friendship with her when he was back in LA...but in his gut, he felt like LA was jinxed for them.

"Can I take you to breakfast tomorrow, before you go?" Darcy felt more nervous than a man his age had any right to feel asking a woman out. She'd shaken his confidence that night in his car, and cast him into a state of insecurity. It was good for him, as he'd admitted to her earlier, but that didn't make it less unpleasant.

Elena hesitated. Her fingers were resting on the door and they turned white for a second. Darcy steeled himself for a rejection. More polite than last time, but—

"Okay. I would normally check with Gigi, but I know she won't mind."

Darcy almost forgot how to breathe. "Great," he managed to get out. "See you tomorrow."

#

Elena and Darcy walked down the sidewalk after breakfast, and Elena yawned. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "These late night concerts kill me."

"I just appreciate that you got up early to meet me."

Amazingly, Elena had again enjoyed talking to Darcy. Even when it ranged to politics, she'd found him less infuriating and more thoughtful. Not that they agreed. But she was almost willing to admit that he was a decent, self-respecting Republican, which she'd thought was impossible…

Her phone buzzed and she winced. "Sorry again. It's my cousin, Mireya. Just a sec. There might be an apartment problem or maybe she wants permission to murder Valerie..."

Elena dialed back and Mireya picked up right away.

"I—I am so sorry, Elena. Valerie is gone. She packed her bags and left while I took Luis to the park."

"What?"

"She left yesterday afternoon. She ran away."

" _Yesterday?_ Did you text her?"

"She's not responding. She left a note that she was going with Wick."

"Wick?"

"You know, that guy you met in the café this summer."

"I know, but... How did she meet him again? Are you sure?"

Elena had continued to walk next to Darcy as she talked. Suddenly his hand wrapped around her upper arm and jerked her back. She'd almost stepped into a crosswalk without noticing and a bus zoomed in front of her face.

"Sorry," Elena said, briefly meeting his eyes.

Mireya sounded exhausted. "I don't know what to do. I didn't want to worry you, and I was hoping she'd come home last night or this morning. She was so angry, but I thought she'd get it out of her system and come back. I'm going to have to call your parents next, but I don't know what to say. Do I need to file a police report? Do you know if they'll ask for my ID? They will, won't they?" Mireya sobbed. "I thought you were friends with Wick, but Carl says he's bad news?"

"Yes, I should have told you. Okay, let me think. They've been gone all night? Maybe Wick just let her sleep at his place..." Elena knew it was stupid as she said it. Wick was annoyed at Elena for losing him the apartment job, he wouldn't be doing Valerie any favors. He wouldn't be _interested_ in her either, would he? Ugh, this was so bad. To think that the best-case scenario involved her sister spending the night with Wick.

Darcy was frowning fiercely.

"Mireya, what exactly did Valerie say?"

"She wrote, "Tell the kids bye for me, and tell Elena to suck it. If I'm not good enough to go on her stupid tour—Sorry—I'm still good enough to get a job in LA. Wick has connections and by the time she gets back I'll be on my own."

Elena stumbled as her knees felt weak. "Oh, Valerie. How stupid can you be?"

Darcy's hand was under her elbow, steadying her again.

"Mireya, let me call you right back."

Elena hung up and for a split second, delayed looking at Darcy. This was it, the end of the weird, but somehow magnetic time they'd had together. Maybe it wouldn't have been anything more, but now she would never know. Because Wick and Valerie...!

Elena met Darcy's eyes. "You heard all that?"

His jaw had turned to stone. He nodded.

"I—I don't know what to do. I need to get back there. I'll call my parents, but my dad's still recovering. He can barely walk without a walker. My mom has never driven to LA by herself. And she wouldn't know where to go. Not that I do. I could check his apartment, but...what are the odds that Valerie is there?" Elena ended this last bit with a definite waver in her voice. "I read the documents about Wick's uncle. But he's gone, right? There's no chance Valerie would be... I mean, human trafficking doesn't happen like this, right? When her family knows where she is..."

Darcy bit his lip. "It's very possible that Wick is just...indulging some petty revenge on you, and she's fine."

"She had a crush on him. I should have told her about him! But I wasn't sure she would keep quiet about Gigi, and I didn't think she would see Wick again."

"I understand. But, there's a small possibility that she's...not okay. I think you need to start texting her and you need to let your parents know. You'll need to file a police report as soon as possible."

Elena pressed her hands over her eyes. "Right. And my parents can't do that, either. Do I have to wait forty-eight hours to report her missing?"

"No, that's just on TV. Can your cousin do it?"

"If I ask her to, she will. But she's scared. She's a DACA recipient like Noa."

"That's plenty, she can go to the police safely, especially in LA."

"Theoretically! Try telling that to Mireya. I need to get back there. I need to get a flight. But Gigi..."

Darcy took her hand. "You have to get back to the hotel first anyway, to get your things. You can explain to Gigi then."

"Right. I'm sorry, I'm not thinking clearly."

In the car, she called Mireya again and practically begged her to go to the local police station and file the report. "I know it's a huge thing to ask, but Darcy—my friend—assures me that a DACA ID is enough."

Mireya swallowed. "Alright."

"And I guess you'll need to take Luis and Mike, I'm sorry about that too, but maybe my neighbor, Ana, would watch them—"

"It's alright, Carl said he would keep them for a few hours."

"Carl?"

"Yeah."

There was something weird in Mireya's voice. "You and Carl?"

"...I've seen him a lot since I'm here all day. The point is, he can watch the boys."

Darcy gave her a list of the things Mireya should write down. What Valerie was wearing the night before, her birthdate, social security number, height, weight, hair color, tattoos.

"She doesn't have any," Elena said.

Darcy continued, "Any birth marks? A picture would be good. How much money she had, where she was, and Wick's name and address, of course, and even why she was mad."

Elena closed her eyes. She should have handled their fight better. If Valerie disappeared after today, Elena wouldn't be able to live with herself. "Dear God, please let her be okay."

"Amen," Darcy said.

Mireya hung up when she had all the information, and Elena prayed that the police would take her seriously and not intimidate her. And that they would storm Wick's apartment and find Valerie safe.

#

Darcy followed Elena up to Gigi's suite, but he let Elena go in alone. He looked up tickets and bought two from Dulles to LAX. Darcy usually traveled in a private jet that was fractionally owned by his organization and several others. Because it was shared, however, the schedule had to be made ahead of time and he wouldn't be able to get it on such short notice. Two tickets to LA on the first flight was actually much faster.

Darcy texted his housekeeper to send a bag to the airport for him.

Then he went in.

Gigi had exactly the stricken look he'd seen on her face once before, when she'd first seen that photo of herself and realized what it'd been used for. If anything, this time was worse, because now Elena felt guilty as well, and Gigi empathized with her, too.

Elena wiped her eyes and went to her room to throw her clothes in a suitcase. Darcy hugged his sister. "We're going to find her."

"You're going?"

"Of course. I should have pursued charges against him already."

"You mean _I_ should have."

Darcy gave her a tiny shake. "No. You were recovering. I thought I was sparing you by letting that part slide, but I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault either," Gigi said. "It's not all about you, Darce."

This brought a smile to his face despite everything.

Darcy told Elena he would drive her to the airport, and it was only when he got there and parked in the lot that she looked at him strangely. "You could just drop me at the curb. I really appreciate you getting my flight. You don't have to walk me in..."

"I'm coming."

Elena sat there while he got out and then scrambled to catch up. "You're coming?"

"Yes. Gigi and I could have pressed charges against Wick for several things, but we chose not to. I'm going to do it now, to make sure the police do everything they can to find your sister. I also...have some documentation from the investigator who followed Wick's uncle. There are locations I can give the police, or we could even check ourselves."

"Thank you," Elena said. "I want to tell you that it's too much, that I can't accept, but can you ever really say that for a sister?"

"No, you can't."

They got on the flight, first class seats, since that's what was left, but neither of them enjoyed the five-hour flight. Elena was too keyed up to relax, and Darcy was mentally reviewing the first steps he should take. Some of these he shared with Elena, some he didn't. Elena texted Valerie and called her parents. He busied himself with his laptop while she cried. It sounded like she was reassuring her father, and he hoped she was right.

Most runaways did return safely within a week, and if Wick had not been involved, Darcy would not have been as severely concerned.

The police had not found evidence that Wick knew about his uncle's human trafficking crimes, but Darcy was not convinced. He tried to think logically about the risk. Although Wick could make money by essentially selling Valerie into prostitution, that was a big step to take if he'd never done it before. There were likely to be issues.

And who knows, perhaps Wick had enough real affection for Elena not to do something so heinous. Perhaps he was only petulantly sheltering Valerie to get back at her.

But Darcy, even when trying to look on the bright side, was afraid. Wick might only be annoyed with Elena, but he _hated_ Darcy. And if he suspected how much this would hurt Darcy (through Elena) that might be enough for him to get Valerie into a very bad situation.


	32. Chapter 32

When Elena had been quiet for more than forty-five minutes, staring sightlessly at the seatback in front of her, with her hands alternately clenched and straightened on the armrests, Darcy spoke. "I know it's hard to put the worry aside. There's not much more we can do from the plane, but if you want to talk, I'm available. We're still an hour from LAX."

Elena leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "I'm terrified for Valerie. Worst-case scenarios keep floating into my head. And then I'm more angry than ever that she got herself into this. And then I feel guilty. And then I remind myself that she might be fine."

"Are your parents alright?"

"Yes. They're upset, particularly my dad, since he's more aware of the dangers. But I haven't told them details about Wick, so they're not as worried as I am." Elena sighed deeply. "Noa is more upset than either of them, since she knew."

"Did she?"

"Yes, she was the only one I told..." Elena suddenly sat up straight, opened her eyes and studied him. "Actually, in the name of distraction, I have a question. Did Charles specifically say that Noa never wrote back to him?"

Darcy blinked at the unexpected turn. "Yes," he said, honestly. "He'd been acting like a zombie since we left Spear Lake. More down than I'd seen him since he lost his first election. I finally told him he should write to Noa if he didn't have closure. That's when he told me that he had, but she'd not replied."

"She did," Elena said. "She felt awful that our mom put him on the spot. She apologized and asked Charles to believe that she didn't have any... ulterior motive in going out with him. She knew it was a bad idea, but got caught up in it."

Darcy frowned. "So you think—"

"Caroline deleted it."

"Right. Of course."

"That's it?"

"I'm not going to defend her. Emails don't get lost in the mail. If Charles didn't see it, there's a reason."

"I know it never would have worked between them," Elena admitted. "I told Noa so. But... it's a shame. They were perfect for each other."

Darcy was silent for a long while. He wanted to be honest, but he didn't want to anger Elena. "I've conditioned myself to see everything through the filter of politics. Now that I've taken those glasses off, so to speak, I can see what you mean. But—speaking as a friend—Charles is an easy-going, easily-pleased guy. Noa seems like a sweet, supportive kind of girl. Couldn't they both be happy with other people?" There was a tiny thread of pleading in his voice, as if he wanted to be reassured. Darcy cleared his throat, getting that under control. "If two people are the equivalent of..." he struggled for a metaphor, "universal wrenches, for example, they don't necessarily need another universal wrench to be happy. It almost seems like a waste, considering how versatile they are."

Elena made a face. "Universal wrenches? Really?"

"It's a tool that fits any—-"

"I know what it is, you just surprised me. You don't seem like the handyman type. You couldn't even open the hood of Charles's car."

He'd been so peeved that night, so foolishly prideful rather than just explaining to Elena. Maybe if he'd talked to her that night rather than retreating to the car with Caroline, they wouldn't be here now. "I love cars," Darcy said. "I love working on them, when they're not too electronic to understand. I'd smashed my wrist helping Charles get the boat in the water."

"Oh."

"Does that make you despise me less?"

"I don't despise you." She blinked away tears, as the reason they were on the plane hit her afresh. "You're coming all this way to help me find Valerie, after all."

Elena bit her lip and checked her phone again. Darcy had paid to connect to the plane's WiFi calling.

Her brief distraction was over, but she said quietly, while she texted Mireya yet again, "What if the universal wrenches fall in love? What if they don't want to conform to an unyielding bolt, just because they're able to?"

Darcy wasn't sure if she wanted an answer, or was just talking to herself. She kept mumbling and he kept quiet.

#

Elena was incredibly relieved when she finally got to her apartment. Somehow being on the scene made her feel alert and hopeful again. A horrible lethargy and hopelessness had come over her, but now it retreated. It helped that they had gained three hours in the flight to California. Now it was only one in the afternoon, instead of four. Somehow those three hours felt like they could make all the difference.

She'd parted from Darcy at the airport, as he'd needed to go home before taking his information to the police. Elena had gotten an Uber home, though he'd wanted to rent her a car, and that made her feel better too. She could take care of herself again, now that she was back in her city.

Mireya came out to the curb when Elena got out of the car. "I'm going to kill her," Mireya said.

No news yet?"

"No. She must know how scared we are." Mireya looked like she may have cried at some point, but now she was angry.

Elena shook her head. "Maybe she will. I'm trying to text without threatening her—that is hard—and I hope she'll respond." Elena was torn between hoping Valerie knew what a stupid, dangerous thing she'd done, and hoping she was still ignorant and sulking. Because ignorance would mean she wasn't hurt yet. "Have the police been to his apartment yet?"

"They knocked, no answer. They said they can't search without cause."

"And they won't trace Valerie's phone?" Elena asked, exasperated.

Mireya shook her head. "They say they only do that if there's 'extenuating circumstances.'"

"But they're keeping you updated?"

"Not really," Mireya jerked her head. "They've been talking to Carl. They can't do very much."

"To Carl?"

They walked up to Elena's apartment, and when Mireya opened the door, Luis ran to her right away, wearing a bright orange towel as a cape.

There was a pack'n'play crib in the tiny living room now, and a huge vase of white roses on the table.

Elena heard banging from the back, and walked into the hall to see Carl attaching a baby bouncer to the ceiling.

"Ah, Elena, I'm glad you're back. I am so very sorry about your sister's disappearance. I hope she'll be found, but I'm not— well, Mireya shouldn't have to handle this alone. Glad you're here."

Elena eyed the seat suspended by straps that now blocked half of the hallway. Carl also wore an orange towel like a cape, and Elena felt that she'd wandered into a weird dream.

Elena pulled Mireya back out to the front door and speared her with a look. "What is happening?" she whispered.

Mireya shrugged. "You've been gone two and a half weeks."

"But—"

"He's taken me out twice. He's pretty good with the boys. Really handy too."

"But he's so..." Stupid? Weird? Boring?

Mireya glared at her, as if reading her mind. "He's a great guy. I don't know why you are so down on him."

Had Mireya really fallen for Carl since Elena left? Enough that her kids were playing dress-up with him and he'd brought her flowers?

For heaven's sake: Carl? He'd been mildly pursuing Elena for nearly a year.

It was so unexpected, Elena had trouble talking to him at first. He seemed a little embarrassed too, which made it worse. He broke off what he was saying about the police (apparently he'd become the contact for them), to rub his chin.

"I hope you will be happy for your cousin and I. I've never considered myself someone who might fall in love quickly, but Mireya is... amazing. I've never met someone so breathtaking."

"Is she?" Elena repeated, then realized how mean that sounded. "Yeah, Mireya is wonderful. I'm just surprised."

Mireya put her hand on Carl's arm protectively and Elena smothered a sudden grin. She could see why Carl had fallen so hard for Mireya. He'd only gotten a tepid response from Elena herself, but when Mireya decided to date him, she would have turned it _on_. With Mireya focusing her attention on him, he'd probably never look at another woman again. Plus, nobody in the apartment building would dare backtalk him or disparage him with Mireya around. She could be a bit scary.

"The police?" Elena prompted Carl.

"Right, yes. Mireya asked me to be the point-person and I was happy to do so. After all, as a resident of one of my buildings, even a temporary resident, your sister does have a claim on my help."

Elena agreed and finally got him around to the point. He gave her an update—very little—and the name and number of the detective he'd talked to.

That was all Elena needed. She kissed the boys and Mireya goodbye and evaded a brotherly hug from Carl, before heading for her car and Wick's apartment.

#

Darcy had not been entirely forthcoming about his immediate plans. He hadn't lied to Elena, but he hadn't made it clear that he had already, from the airplane, forwarded all the potentially helpful documents, addresses, and notes to the police. Elena seemed to believe that he might need physical files and he let her think so.

Instead, after a series of phone calls to make sure the documents got to the proper detective, Darcy began his own check list. He wasn't sure how long it would take the police to get to each of these places, and he felt a sense of urgency.

He first tried Wick's uncle's place, which now housed a set of grubby guys who smelled like weed, but they didn't have a clue about Valerie. Next were several clubs they'd frequented, and there he didn't ask directly, but discreetly inquired of a few of the girls if there was a new girl, a young girl, come in the last day or so.

Darcy hated these places. He wanted to close his eyes, but that wouldn't do Valerie any good. At each club, he tried to peg which women were older, more experienced, and more likely to lie to him if he asked about Valerie. The sad thing was that in the escort and prostitution world, there were many women who facilitated it as well.

Instead he tried to ask the newer, younger ones.

Unfortunately, the clubs were only the tip of the iceberg, the visible part. Many girls who got trafficked in LA would never see a place like this. They'd be kept at a house or hotel or apartment and shipped around as needed.

Valerie, a girl who was not addicted to anything (as far as Elena knew), spoke English well, came from a two-parent home, and didn't have a mental illness would be harder to control. At least for a while.

Darcy was hoping that if she realized she was in over her head, she would make a fuss and someone would know.

The danger was that she might not realize until she'd...started, for lack of a better word. Then, feeling guilty and ashamed and scared of telling her family, she'd get drawn deeper.

He texted with Elena occasionally, getting updates from her and giving vague ones of his own. Her search was so far fruitless. She'd gone to Wick's apartment building, and several hotels nearby, which had been Darcy's suggestion. She told him she was still texting Valerie, and she'd even texted Wick several times, demanding to know where he was and basically appealing to his better nature.

Darcy thought it possible Wick would reply to her, but more likely that he would reply to Darcy's text. He'd only sent one. "Don't be stupid. How much do you need?"

Darcy was disgusted at the idea of giving Wick money, but if it kept Valerie safe, he would do it and vomit later. Even if it only made Wick think about his options, that would still buy time before Valerie was put in a bad situation.

At the sixth club Darcy visited, he had some luck. He'd started showing the girls he spoke to a picture of Wick and his uncle. He'd snapped it from the file.

One of the girls, a tall blonde, said no, there hadn't been any new girls, but then did a furtive double-take at the picture.

"That guy," she pointed to Wick's uncle. "I remember him. But didn't he get arrested? I heard he was supplying a gang with girls." She shuddered.

"Yes, he was arrested. Have you seen his nephew recently? My friend's little sister ran away and she's with him."

"But Wick isn't—" she broke off.

Darcy tensed up. "You know Wick? Can you get a hold of him?"

"Yeah, but he's not like that guy. I knew they were related or something, but Wick hated him."

"Wick hates whoever cuts him off, but that doesn't stop him using their connections."

She hesitated another second. "Wick was here with a girl yesterday, but she seemed fine. She was interested in a job, but he wasn't pressuring her, as far as I noticed. I think she borrowed some clothes from somebody."

"I really need to find her," Darcy said. He wanted to point out that Valerie was only seventeen and stupid, and couldn't be trusted to realize what a horrible place this was, but he realized that also applied to the girl in front of him. Not stupid, perhaps, but easily that young.

He could maybe scare the information out of her, but was that what Elena would want him to do? Not unless there was no other way.

It went against every part of his personality, but Darcy forced himself instead to be honest with her. He showed her a picture of Elena that Gigi had texted him. "I'm falling for this girl. Elena's finally coming around and then her sister disappears while visiting her for the summer. She's scared and I told her I'd help. Please tell me if you know how to contact Wick."

She'd softened considerably while he told this story. "Aw, that's really sweet." Darcy didn't understand why that worked. He could've lied to her, didn't she realize that? He hadn't, but she didn't know that. He might never understand people.

She told him all she had was Wick's phone number, and Darcy was initially disappointed until he realized it was a different number than what he had.

He thanked her, and on the spur of the moment, wrote his name and email on a napkin. "If you ever need help—I owe you one."

Outside, now in the late afternoon, the sun was a physical weight on his back.

He had to decide what to do with the number. The police could use it to locate the cell phone, but would they? How much the police could do to find a runaway depended. He knew they couldn't search a house without a warrant, even if the parents suspected a teen was staying there.

He wasn't sure what they could legally do with a number, but he was fairly sure they wouldn't track it down tonight.

He didn't want Elena to have to wait another horrible twelve hours before the next step was taken.

He put the number in his phone and thought carefully before he sent a message. A threat.

"Tell me where you are and we'll pick up Valerie tonight. Otherwise, I'm willing to dig up Gigi's past to get the police on you and Valerie. We may not have enough for endangerment, possession, or accessory to human trafficking, but I bet we could get one out of three."

Darcy hit send.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Sorry for faking you guys out with this chapter. Hopefully this time it'll be readable... Thanks for reading, as always!**

Chapter 33

Elena almost had a wreck when she finally got a text from Valerie. She quickly pulled over and grabbed the phone.

"OMG, you are so melodramatic," Valerie had written. She sent a picture of herself puckering her lips at the camera. It looked like she was in a hotel room, with a bit of wall, a draped window, and cheap abstract art on the wall. "I'm fine. I already met with a talent agent, who liked my look."

Elena gritted her teeth. What kind of agent did Valerie meet? How could she be so stupid to think it was that simple? But she'd started talking and Elena did not want her to go silent again.

Elena called her back and almost gasped when Valerie picked up the phone, laughing. "You are seriously freaking out, aren't you?" Valerie asked. "And I'm having so much fun."

Elena tried to breathe. "I'm glad. I've been really worried about you."

"Sucks to be you."

"You know, maybe I could get you a recommendation from Gigi's agent, Fitz. He's a funny guy, you'd like him."

"Haha. Like you would do that. You're going to drag me back to Spear Lake the first moment you can."

"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, but this is not the way to start a career. Gigi can tell you."

"Yeah, she's been texting me. Be careful, come back, blah, blah. You've totally got her wrapped around your finger."

Elena gripped her phone tightly. How could she get through to Valerie when even her girl-crush on Gigi had played itself out? That was the one card Elena had on her side.

"Just don't do anything you're not comfortable with," Elena said. "If something bad happens, yell and make a scene."

"How about stop, drop, and roll?"

"Are you...on something? You sound weird."

"I was nervous about the pictures, but Wick gave me something to calm down. Not drugs, duh! Just some Xanax or something."

"That's... Valerie, you have asthma! There's a reason you need a prescription for drugs like that, you might have had a reaction." Elena breathed slowly to calm down. "What photos? Why were you nervous?"

Valerie laughed. "It's not like me, is it? I'm still learning how to be a model. But I felt fine by the end. Wick said I was a natural. Noa's not the only one in our family with the _look_."

Elena felt ice run down her back. She reminded herself that pictures were just pictures, no matter how bad. They didn't hurt Valerie.

"So why did you text me?" Elena asked.

Valerie's voice was muffled and Elena heard a voice in the background.

Valerie was laughing again. "Wick says hi," she giggled. His voice came again and Valerie snickered. "Why not?"

Then the phone disconnected.

Darcy's phone buzzed several times in a row, with both a call from Elena and a text from Wick.

He declined Elena's call with a pained flick, and read Wick's text.

"That was faster than I thought, but chill," it read. "You always assume the worst, man. I'll send you the address."

The next read, "Bring your checkbook though." A link followed.

Darcy's stomach dropped. Here would come Wick's counter-threat or blackmail attempt.

Darcy was angered but not shocked to see a risqué photo of Valerie, with a number and description on the 'dating' site. They must have used the "clothes" they'd gotten at the club.

He texted Wick again. "You're making it worse. Now there's child pornography, promotion, and trafficking to add to the charges."

"Look at the provider," Wick replied.

Darcy went back to the site. He looked to the bottom where the contact info was. To his horror, he realized it was Valerie and Elena's parents' names (first and last), along with a link to their rental cabins in Spear Lake and a phone number that might be theirs as well.

Darcy groaned. Wick had thought of an extortion scheme much worse than he'd realized. If Wick pointed this out to the right law enforcement, it would look very bad. It would look like Mr. and Mrs. Benitez were running a prostitution scheme on the side of their legitimate work. That would be a horrible situation for anyone, if their employer saw it, let alone if a detective began looking into it. And for undocumented immigrants, it would be devastating.

There would be an investigation, and their undocumented status would come up. They would be unable to pay an expensive lawyer. ICE would become involved and they'd probably be detained during the investigation.

Of course, Valerie would testify that they hadn't made her into an underage sex worker, but then, she was their daughter. A prosecutor could argue she was lying to defend them.

The defense attorney would hopefully be able to prove the pictures were uploaded from Wick's phone or camera...but maybe they wouldn't. Hopefully they could prove with past guest that this was a lie, but then, because her parents were undocumented, and Darcy wasn't sure how they got paid, it would be hard to prove they'd never made money this way. Maybe her parents would be proved innocent, but maybe they would be deported, separated from their daughters for who knew how long, forced to start again, as suspected criminals.

It was a gamble on Wick's part, but it was a very good gamble. Wick didn't even know Darcy was interested in Elena. He must be basing his leverage on Gigi's desire to save Elena's family. Or perhaps he'd heard about Charles and Noa. He'd scored even better than he knew.

Elena called again, and Darcy answered this time.

Elena spoke quickly. "She called me. She was on something, but she sounded okay. She sent me a picture, and I could see a little of the background. Do you think there's a chance we could figure out where she is? I saw an article about an app for tracking hotel rooms."

Darcy had seen that too, and if he didn't know they were going to get an address, he would have considered her idea. As it was... "Even better, I'm about to get an address from Wick."

"You are? Why didn't you tell me? You'll send it to me as soon as you get it?"

"I will, but...will you trust me to go get her and bring her to you? Wick is going to be… awful, as usual, and I don't want you—"

"No. I do trust you, but Valerie is my sister. I need to be there. She might be stubborn about leaving or throw a fit... Come get me and we'll go together."

Darcy realized it would be useless to argue and signed off.

He'd just have to figure out how to deal with Wick's threat and hopefully not alarm Elena. Perhaps he could have her take Valerie to the car while he finished up. And even if he swallowed his pride and paid Wick an insane amount of money, how would he make sure this threat didn't pop up again?

Elena found Darcy looking serious and remote. Was he regretting coming all this way?

"I'm sorry about this," Elena started. "You flew across the country for my sister and it turns out she's not in dire circumstances after all. Bad circumstances," she thought darkly of Valerie's hints, "but okay. And she called me after all, so I guess my panic was unnecessary. I'm sorry if I've seriously destroyed your work week—"

Darcy put his hand on hers for a second. "Stop, it's fine. I'm glad I'm here to help. And I don't feel it was a waste just because the worst didn't happen. I'm _glad_ she's alright. That was always the outcome we wanted."

Elena exhaled, releasing some of her tension. "That's true."

He moved his hand away and she half-wished they had enough of a relationship to hold hands. She'd never got comfort out of holding someone's hand before, but she finally realized how that would feel.

#

Darcy parked near the front of the motel and when he turned off the car, it immediately began to heat up in the baking hot sun. Darcy was framing what he wanted to say to Elena, but she wasn't waiting. "Let's go."

The motel was beige and green, an unfortunate combination, and the cracked asphalt of the parking lot looked like it had seen too many summers. A gas station nearby said the temperature was still over a hundred though it was nearly dinner time.

Darcy felt a flop sweat forming. He didn't have a plan, and he hated that.

He followed Elena to the room and she knocked loudly. He had to give it to her, she was not timid.

The door opened with a squeak, and Wick's smiled faltered as he saw Elena. "Darcy, I thought you were coming alone. You should have told me, I'd've cleaned up better."

Elena's glare could cut diamonds, but she only pushed past him into the room.

Valerie was asleep on the double bed, and Elena roughly shook her arm. "Valerie, Valerie, wake up." Elena raised her hand, almost as if she would slap her sister, but then lowered it and gently rubbed Valerie's forehead. "Wake up."

Valerie stirred groggily and slit her eyes. "Ugh, my head hurts."

Elena winced. "I'm sure it does, but hey, we're here, time to get up."

Valerie moaned but sat up and rolled her head, stretching her neck. "I don't want to," she said petulantly. "I want to stay with Wick."

"Sorry," Wick told her. "I didn't realize Elena would get Darcy involved. I think you'll have to go home, sweetheart. I wouldn't want to put you or your family in an awkward position."

Elena didn't even look at him. She raised Valerie up and put her arm around her. "Here we go. I have this great new game on my phone. Have you played the new Pokémon game? You'll love it."

Darcy opened the door for them and though Valerie protested weakly, she seemed too sleepy to put up a major fight.

Darcy handed his keys to Elena. "Will you get the car going? I need a second."

Wick laughed. "You trust her with your car keys? She hates you."

Elena shot Wick one more death glare. "Yeah, I so much prefer guys who lie and extort and manipulate," she said sarcastically. "Darcy has nothing on you."

Wick's expression flickered, but thankfully Elena kept going.

Darcy shut the door. "You think you can extort money from me, but how do I know you won't put that ad back up tomorrow? If you can't prove your little con is over, I should report you and let Elena's family take their chances."

Wick didn't blink. "Gigi won't want her new BFF to worry through an investigation, or her family to be separated. Would you really put her through that?"

"What I can't figure out," Darcy countered, "is why you befriended Elena and Valerie at all. If you had any affection for Elena, you wouldn't do this to her. And if you didn't, what was the point?" Darcy was satisfied to see disappointment cross Wick's face. Elena had forced Darcy to focus on his own emotions and it was like having a window into others. Wick really had liked Elena—perhaps that was partly why this had gotten so nasty.

Wick shrugged. "You always manage to ruin my relationships. I thought I'd get something more out of this one. So, here's the deal." He named an amount, considerably less than Darcy had expected, and assured Darcy that he would delete the post with him watching.

Darcy rolled his eyes. "I'm not an idiot."

"I'll give you the data file from my camera," Wick continued, "which you can destroy. Or keep if the mood hits you. She's cute. You can pretend it's Elena."

Darcy backhanded Wick. He didn't hit him as hard as he wanted to, his rational mind tempered his instinct, but he'd had enough.

Perhaps he'd put a bit too much into it though, because Wick's head bounced off the doorframe and he almost fell down.

He reeled and pulled himself upright, clutching his ear. "That's assault. You can't do that to me. I'll make you—"

Darcy stretched his hand. "You won't do anything. I don't love the bias in our justice system, but if it's your word against mine, I'll win."

The Benitez family might suffer for it though, and Darcy got himself back under control. "Here's my deal. I'll give you the money, and you give me every piece of electronics in this room. Your phones, your computer, your camera. Also, you log me into your email account, and I change the password. Because I'm willing to bet you don't have any sophisticated back-up plan other than that."

Wick's mouth opened and shut. "No way."

Darcy pulled out his own phone. "I have a direct number for the detective who worked Gigi's case. His three daughters are huge fan of hers and he would be horrified to learn you're taking advantage of her fame again."

He hit call and Wick cursed. "Give me a minute, man. You just busted my head and I can't think."

"All the electronics plus a dead email account. That's my offer." Darcy was relieved that Wick was fighting the offer. That meant he hadn't emailed the photos to a friend or uploaded them to an online repository. Darcy canceled the call. He hated the idea of compromising with this cockroach of a man, but hadn't he already started to compromise in so many areas of his life? He wanted to change that, and was already taking steps to change it. But what kind of hypocrite would he be if he couldn't compromise to save Elena's family? It didn't mean he wouldn't fix things with Wick later.

Wick took his hand away from his ear. "I'm bleeding!"

"Elena is going to come back any minute."

"Fine! But I have to replace my stuff, so I need another four thousand."

Darcy had already made out a check to Wick. He filled in the amount and set it on the counter. Then he followed Wick around, collecting his nice camera, two phones, and a small laptop.

"Do you want my Fitbit, too?" Wick bit out.

Darcy didn't answer, but quickly searched the rest of the room. He knew it wasn't thorough—he didn't know how to do a real search—but he didn't think Wick knew how to conceal something in the vents or under the carpet, so he wasn't too worried. He had Wick log into his phones and email, and after checking that the email account was current and active, he changed the password.

Then he watched Wick delete the ad and the account for good measure.

"If everything online stays gone, you can cash this on Saturday," Darcy said.

He walked briskly to the car, and threw Wick's things in the trunk before getting into the driver's seat. Darcy hoped he hadn't made a terrible decision. The blast of cool air on his sweaty face felt good. Wick would blow through the money he'd gotten fairly quickly, and then probably enter their lives again. Next time, Darcy would either beat him up or make sure he got arrested. Both would be preferable.

Elena was in the passenger seat, and Valerie snored in the back.

"Is that...blood?" Elena asked quietly, pointing to a smear on his thumb.

He examined his hands. "Yes, only a few drops though. Could you hand me a tissue from the glove box?"

He rubbed his hands clean. "For the record, I barely touched him."


	34. Chapter 34

Elena was less perturbed by Darcy hitting Wick than by the things he'd thrown in the trunk. Oh, Valerie.

"Where to?" Darcy asked. "I mean, immediately back to your place or do you want to take Valerie to urgent care...?"

Elena pictured Carl in her apartment and Mireya and the boys and slumped. She didn't feel able to deal with them tonight. But she had to take Valerie somewhere. Elena pressed a hand to her stinging eyes. "Sorry, I think I'm having a post-stress reaction. I don't think she needs a doctor. She told me nothing happened, other than the Xanax, which I think is making her sleepy. The only thing I can think is that I want to get Valerie home safely, but I'm too tired to drive. I guess we need to go back to my place."

"Spear Lake is only two hours away. I can drive you there right now."

Elena felt the tears in her eyes begin to leak. "That's crazy, but…. it would be amazing."

"I think it's a good idea. Valerie needs time to sleep this off, but I think being with her parents when she's finally alert would be good. If she needs to see a doctor, she could see her own."

Darcy directed his car toward the east-bound freeway, and Elena alerted everyone that Valerie had been found safe and that they were taking her home. Then she callously silenced her phone. It was enough that this part was done, she refused to answer everyone's questions with the sudden exhaustion that stole over her. Instead, she studied Darcy's profile as they drove. When they'd had breakfast this morning, this was not how she'd pictured spending the next twelve hours. His profile was lit up by the setting sun, but even when he put on his designer sun-glasses, he didn't look as closed off and opaque as she remembered him. He looked, well, what he always had looked: incredibly handsome. Only now it was overlaid with what she knew about him.

It was a strange drive for Elena. She and Darcy were mainly quiet. There were thing to say, but they were both tired and too considerate to force the other to talk.

As they drove north out of greater LA, they passed the site of a recent wildfire. Blackened hills were still dark with soot, the winds hadn't blown it away yet, and most of the trees were only sticks. In a few of the gullies there were clumps of trees with a few brave green leaves poking out. It would be a mud slide hazard this winter.

A line of brownish red dirt showed where the firefighters had scraped a firebreak. And beyond that, a neighborhood of duplexes sat untouched by flame. California firefighters really were amazing.

People often thought of undocumented immigrants that way—living on the edge of danger or even annihilation—but Elena thought this fire showed the opposite story. Everyone lived that way. Everyone was a step away from a hurricane, an earthquake, or a fire that takes everything. Everyone was a step away from cancer, from divorce, or yes, from deportation. But people couldn't live forever in a state of fear. At least, they could, but they shouldn't. And Elena was tired of being painted as perpetually scared. She wasn't. Neither were her sisters or her parents. Even her mother, who wanted them to marry citizens and be safe, didn't live in constant fear. She did her job, chatted with her family, made plans with friends. It could be so much worse.

Then Valerie woke up, and Elena's reverie was over. Valerie was confused, then mad, then embarrassed, then mad again, but with an edge of hysteria to it.

Elena was relieved when Darcy parked in front of her parents' condo. She was angry with Valerie, and had been regretting that Darcy had to hear her complaints. Especially after he'd gotten Wick's devices to make sure Valerie was protected. Elena figured it was hopeless—but Darcy had done his best.

Valerie owed him a lot, and yet her first reaction was that he'd spoiled her summer. She didn't get the magnitude or danger of what she'd done, and Elena was embarrassed.

Noa and her parents rushed out when they arrived and Darcy awkwardly hung back.

Her mother, who first grabbed Valerie and crushed her to her chest, then proceeded to yell. No one could do angry like a scared Latina mother, and Elena stepped back as the wave broke. Darcy's eyes widened in something very like fear and her mother's torrent of Spanish scolding escalated. Elena wasn't in the mood to laugh, but she could imagine that his mother's response would not be so…heated.

Elena realized with a jolt that her father wasn't even outside. He must be furious if he wouldn't even come out to them.

Noa's gentle presence eventually calmed down their mother, quieted Valerie's protests, and even soothed Elena's ragged nerves. With a brief squeeze and significant look, Noa's eyes showed she understood the importance of Darcy's presence.

Darcy pulled Elena aside as Valerie and her mother went inside. Loudly. "I don't want to intrude on your parents and the time change is catching up to me. I'm going to find a hotel and drive home tomorrow. Will you need a ride?"

Elena couldn't quite believe he was still here, still offering help. How could she have thought he was so selfish? And he certainly wouldn't still be here if he was as proud as she'd thought, not after what he'd been drug through today. But then, of course, he felt honor-bound to help with Wick, since he'd warned her about him.

Elena needed to let him off the hook.

And to spend some time with Valerie.

"I don't know for sure when I'll go back, so you don't have to wait for me. I'll talk to Gigi, but please tell her I'm so sorry to leave her in the lurch. I think I need to spend a few days with my family."

Darcy nodded and Elena squelched a small feeling of disappointment that he didn't persist.

They really did live in different worlds, to a large extent, and it wasn't fair to pull him into theirs.

Darcy gripped her hand briefly, as if to acknowledge the end of their strange alliance, and then slipped into his car and drove away.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: This chapter is a bit long - I should probably chop it in half at the slight break, but I don't care! You guys deserve an extra chapter anyway! Also I saw The Greatest Showman this weekend and I'm belting out Never Enough and Rewrite the Stars. (And possibly overusing exclamation points!) And my husband took our 4 kids to ikea for dinner so I could have an hour alone to edit and write. This is a nice night, is what I'm saying! Thanks for hanging out with me. :-)**

Chapter 35

Elena spent three days with her family, not dashing to and from the cabins this time, but trying to reason with Valerie.

Elena was more than a little frustrated, but also recognized that Valerie's current misery was real. Elena had never realized how much the stupid story about Noa's modeling offer had sunk into Valerie's mind. She longed for excitement and recognition… and instead she'd got something sordid and embarrassing. Valerie alternated between humiliation at what Wick must think of her, and a defiant refusal to admit how much she'd scared her family.

Surprisingly, it was their father who finally got through to Valerie. He sat her down and made her watch a chilling documentary about prostitution in the US. Valerie tried to remain cynical, but when she looked over and saw their dad silently crying, she lost it.

By Saturday, the family was reaching a tenuous peace. Elena's mom had even asked her to thank Darcy for his help, which was saying a lot, since she was also sure that he had turned Charles against Noa.

Saturday was also the day that Gigi's concert tour ended. Elena would have been driving home with her from Dallas if she'd still been there. Instead, Elena watched a clip of the final show with Valerie and Noa.

"I'm expected back at the gym tomorrow," Elena told them. "They've been very flexible, but I don't think I should push it.

Valerie was being somewhat subdued, and Noa looked at her compassionately. Noa had forgiven Valerie completely, probably because she was projecting how horrible she herself would have felt in that situation.

"What if we have a beach trip today?" Noa asked. "I haven't been to the beach once this summer. Valerie and I will drive you home, and we'll all go together before coming home."

"That'd be fun," Valerie exclaimed. "We haven't been Santa Monica together for years."

Their car ride was the opposite of the one with Darcy. Now Valerie was in the front seat and Elena in the back. Valerie was laughing and talking with Noa, while Elena sat quietly in the back.

Her apartment was empty when they dropped her off, though signs of Mireya and the boys (and Carl!) were all around. Perhaps they'd gone out?

Elena tried to interest herself in normal activities until Noa and Valerie returned with beach food. She sorted mail, folded laundry, and washed dishes, but the truth was she couldn't drag her thoughts away from Darcy.

Was he back in D.C. or still here? Was he still thinking about their very weird day together, or had he gotten swept up in work and not given it another thought?

Gigi and she had been texting, but Elena hadn't felt comfortable asking about Darcy. Gigi would be home sometime tonight or tomorrow, and Elena wondered if Gigi would be alone, too.

It was weird to feel so caught up in a family's life, and yet so outside as well.

Noa and Valerie returned soon with Manzanita and chips and bananas, and they headed to the Santa Monica beach.

Elena texted a picture of the three of them and the pier to Gigi, with Valerie smiling a bit sheepishly. She'd come to her senses enough to regret the awful texts she'd sent to Gigi.

"Beach time!" Elena texted Gigi, "Next time we go, you should come with us."

She was surprised when Gigi responded right away. "Cool! How long are you going to be there?"

"Until six or seven. Why? Are you home early?"

There was no answer, so Elena tucked the phone safely into their bag and went to get wet with Valerie.

The water was cold, but after a few minutes, when their legs were almost numb, it was enjoyable. Valerie eyed a few of the hot guys on the beach, but Elena was glad to see that she truly was enjoying the fun of the beach itself. Valerie made Elena crazy, but she was still a kid at heart. They ate their snacks and teased Noa into the water and even dozed for a while.

Elena was afraid Valerie was taking a step in the wrong direction when she furtively pointed to a blonde guy further up the beach. "Look at him!" she hissed.

Elena glanced, but didn't see who she meant. "Valerie, this is supposed to be _our_ beach day, let's not—"

"I think it's Charles," Valerie interrupted.

"What?" Elena fixed her eyes on him and gasped. "You're right. What are the odds that he'd be—"

She stopped herself, both for the "come on" look on Valerie's face, and her own deductions. The odds were very bad that he'd be on the same stretch of California coast as them on the same Saturday. Much more likely that Gigi had texted him where they were. Gigi was totally the matchmaking type.

He had a hand to his eyes and was scanning the beach, but didn't seem to have seen them.

Noa sat on a towel by their stuff, braiding her hair against the perpetual wind.

Elena and Valerie shared a wide-eyed look and then dashed over the wet sand to Noa.

She smiled at them. "Cold again?"

Elena pulled Noa to her feet. "Come look for hermit crabs with us. I think Valerie needs a pet."

Valerie made a face, but agreed. "Yes, a wonderful, crawly pet. Let's go."

They went south on the beach, and it wasn't long before Charles, working his way north from the pier, came across them.

Any lingering doubts evaporated when Elena saw him spot Noa. His mouth opened in soundless admiration. Noa did look beautiful on the beach.

Elena waved as if she'd just seen him. "Oh my goodness. Hi Charles," she called.

Noa whipped her head around. "No way," she whispered.

"Yes, he's waving at us. He's coming over here."

"Why is he here?" Noa asked, her normal calm severely shaken. "He doesn't live here."

She couldn't say anymore because he was there.

Charles looked, as Elena had imagined, perfectly at home on the beach. Board shorts and birkenstocks and sunglasses, which he now pushed back. "Elena, Noa, Valerie—wonderful to see you."

Noa made an inarticulate noise and Elena suddenly felt awkward considering the last time she'd seen him. Valerie jumped into the breach. If she felt any awkwardness, it was impossible to tell.

"I haven't seen you since your birthday party. That was cool. Don't you live in Sacramento?"

"No. I mean, yes, I have a house there, but..." he looked adorably tongue-tied. "I'm on vacation in LA."

Valerie huffed. "You must have a ton of vacation time. I had no idea politicians had more free time than high schoolers."

As Charles face grew red, Elena was less thankful for Valerie's intervention. Elena tried, "Are you looking forward to Gigi coming back? Do you and Caroline have any plans with her?"

"Yes, I think we do. I was sorry to hear that you had to return from the tour early." Now he looked embarrassed, cutting his eyes away from Valerie. "Not that Gigi minded. Where are you headed? Can I come along?"

Elena gave him points for smoothly moving to walk beside Noa while they looked for the tell-tale bubbles of crabs.

Noa managed to gather her dignity and make some commonplace conversation about the weather. Charles cut her off. "I want to apologize for how I left things. I should have called you. That email was...a cop-out. And I don't know if Elena told you, but your email to me got deleted. I didn't realize you'd replied until a few days ago."

Noa's eyes flew to Elena, who'd been half-turned to listen and guiltily averted her face.

"Maybe she didn't," Charles realized. "Anyway, Gigi told me you'd be here in LA and I wanted to apologize in person."

Noa tried to shrug but her normal gracefulness was lacking. "It's not a big deal. We only hung out a handful of times."

"True, but..." Charles nervously removed his sunglasses, folding and unfolding them. "Really not true at all. It may not have been long, but I couldn't stop thinking about you after I left. I hated not knowing what you were thinking, or if I'd misunderstood the whole thing. But even if I had, I still wanted to talk to you. You weren't ever part of my life in Sacramento, but I sort of brought you with me. I couldn't move on."

Charles and Noa were almost stopped, and Elena tried to be nonchalant but stay in earshot.

Noa sounded a little stiff, but already her compassion was breaking through. "If you need some sort of closure, I understand. I'm fine, if that's what you're worried about. We had a great time, but I knew it wouldn't last. I should've turned down that boat ride. You had no way of knowing you were walking into our little minefield."

"If you'd turned that down, I would have asked you out that night. And probably the next day." Charles stopped and grabbed Noa's hand. "I don't want closure. I want to pick up where we left off."

Elena and Valerie were openly watching now.

Noa swiped her cheeks. "No. How would that work? We'd just be setting up the same awful break-up again. But worse."

"I know the difficulties, but I don't care. If I have to do something else, I will. I want to give this a try."

Noa pulled her hand away. "That's stupid."

Valerie gasped.

Noa continued. "We don't know each other that well. You can't give up your career for me."

"Well..." Charles scratched his chin sheepishly. "I'm not going to resign tomorrow. Darcy tells me my support could go either way, given the backlash against Trump..." He glanced at Elena for a moment, and then shook his head. "I don't want to get into that, but you should know I've thought about what it might cost. I'm not going to walk away if the price is high."

He wiped Noa's wet cheek with his thumb. "I'm sure you've had a lot of disappointments, and I don't want to be one of them. I can't promise I won't be. But I can try."

Elena's conscience finally got to her, and she pulled Valerie away with her to give them some privacy. There were still people up and down the beach, but Charles and Noa were anonymous to everyone else.

Valerie had a thoughtful look on her face. "It still probably won't work."

"I know."

Valerie studied her. "I know if it was me, you'd tell me not to be stupid and immature and—I don't know—thoughtless. Why is Noa different?"

Elena wanted to snap at her not to be so self-centered. This wasn't about Valerie. But she realized Valerie had a point. Elena answered slowly, "Partly it's their age. Noa is twenty-seven and Charles is at least thirty. They've had years to think about their lives and who they are. They've experienced hardship and sadness and failure...they know that life hurts, I guess. So if they choose to risk pain together, I suppose they have the right."

"But I don't?" Valerie gave a token belligerence to her voice, but it sounded like a real question.

"Not yet," Elena said, with a stirring of sympathy. "Being a teenager is like... having bad eyesight. Everybody does. And you get to have all these experiences and find out your weaknesses. And hopefully as an adult you come out of it with an idea of how you need to filter the world to make good decisions. What kind of glasses you need. But if Mom and Dad let you use a chain-saw while you still don't have a good prescription...how bad would they feel when you cut your hand off?"

Valerie squinted at her. "Is your prescription so good then?"

Elena laughed, a little bitterly. "Maybe not. Or maybe my eyes changed when I wasn't looking. Obviously I still make mistakes. It's not even August and I've pretty much disaster-zoned my life."

They came back eventually to Charles and Noa, and apparently they'd decided to throw caution to the wind. Elena hoped they would be okay.

Darcy must have told Charles about the email. Had Darcy approved his friend's decision, or only felt honor-bound to clear up a misunderstanding?

Elena felt a strange ache that Darcy had thought through their conversation and acted on it. He must have been thinking about her, too, but he hadn't called or texted once. Of course, they hadn't had that kind of friendship before D.C., so maybe he didn't feel comfortable starting out of the blue.

Did he want anything more or not? She almost hoped so, at this point, except that it was so messy. And she disagreed with him about so many things. Why the heck did she suddenly want to talk to him about everything? He would only make her mad. Was it stupid to think that she'd rather argue with him than agree with any other man?

Yes. Yes, it was. And although he'd apparently given Charles explicit permission to date Noa, that didn't mean Darcy still wanted to be with her. Maybe he'd thought better of it. He still liked her, that much was clear from all his help, but he might be satisfied to let it recede into his memory.

After a casual dinner with Charles at a fast food place near the beach, and after Noa and Valerie were back on their way home, Elena lay back wearily on her bed. Mireya and Carl were watching a movie at his place, and the boys were asleep in the living room. Elena had tiptoed quietly to her bed and slipped off her shoes, without even bothering to shower away the sand and salt.

It was weird to feel like a stranger in her own apartment. Somehow, although she still had her job and school coming up, it felt like her life had come unanchored.

A loud knock on the door brought Elena up quickly. She dashed out on tiptoe to answer before the banging woke the baby.

She eased the door open to lessen the squeak, and was surprised to see a well-dressed, older lady. Out of context, Elena didn't immediately place her, but then the lady pursed her lips and Elena nearly gasped. Darcy and Gigi's mother! She'd come down with strep throat and had to be banished from Gigi's tour (much to Gigi's relief), so Elena hadn't spent much time with her.

"Mrs. De Bourgh? Can I help you?" Elena said softly.

"Why are you whispering?" she demanded.

She stepped forward, and Elena stepped back, but then stood her ground. "The boys are already asleep. Can I speak with you outside?"

Ms. De Bourgh's haughty eyes swept the living room and her brows rose, before she stepped back silently.

Elena led her down to the courtyard, which was of course crowded with families. Mrs. De Bourgh nearly tripped over the tricycle gang when they wheeled past unexpectedly, and tripped for real when her heel caught in a crack in the concrete.

She righted herself fiercely. "Is there somewhere we can speak privately?"

"Um...not really." Elena was completely at a loss for this visit. "Gigi is alright, isn't she? Has there been an car accident or... or incident?"

"No. Gigi is fine." A line of kids jumped into the pool and the splash reached all the way to them. Mrs. De Bourgh stepped back and nearly hit a grill.

Elena steadied her and stifled a laugh. There was out of place and then there was this lady in her courtyard.

"Oh, I know," Elena said. "Come in here." She led Mrs. De Bourgh around the corner into the tiny laundry room. Four washers and dryers faced each other on either side of a narrow aisle. All of them were running, and a few hampers were resting on the vibrating machines, but no one was in there.

"Dusty," Mrs. de Bourgh said. She stood very upright, as Elena leaned against a dryer.

"What can I do for you?" Elena asked again. She couldn't imagine what would bring Darcy's mother here.

"I suppose you think I'm ignorant of my children's lives, since I couldn't make it on Gigi's tour, but I am not. And although Darcy would resent my interference, I still consider myself his mother. I—" she paused, perhaps finding it harder than she expected to be blunt. "Has he proposed to you?"

Elena jerked upright. "Excuse me? That's crazy."

The woman just raised her eyebrows.

Elena did the same. "Do you have me confused with someone else? I only met him a few months ago."

"I know, and yet, I've heard from at least three different sources that he's been dating you. And then I heard him asking our lawyer for legal advice on mixed status families, marriage, green cards, and voluntary removal. And _then_ he spends forty-four thousand dollars on a discretionary personal purchase." She looked over Elena, as if searching for a forty-four-thousand-dollar ring, while Elena was still boggling at the idea that a ring could cost that much.

"I have no idea what he may have purchased but it had nothing to do with me. Should you share this without his permission?"

"Did you not spend almost the whole of Tuesday and Wednesday with him? You honestly don't know what he purchased?"

"He paid for our plane tickets, which I greatly appreciated, but that couldn't have been more than— oh my gosh." Elena broke off as it suddenly hit her. He'd paid off Wick. Just to get the photos of Valerie? Or had something else been threatened? She was so stupid to think Wick wouldn't gouge them somehow! She'd thought he gave up when they located him, but it had been the money.

Mrs. De Bourgh was frowning. "Then you do know?"

"I have an idea. But you really ought to ask him. You people have serious boundary issues."

Mrs. De Bourgh frowned more fiercely. "I had my doubts about Gigi hiring you, but Darcy assured me you were trustworthy."

"Well, then."

"So Darcy did not propose and then fly you home, buy an engagement gift, and go to your house and speak to your father?"

"Wow. You have an imagination. What we did those two days is personal to my family, and if you want to know, you should ask him. But I doubt he'll tell you, because he's trustworthy, too."

Elena finally laughed at the ridiculousness of the conversation. "I can't believe you think Darcy would get engaged to someone without even mentioning her." She spread her hands, "I have no idea what your relationship is like, but I think Darcy respects you more than that."

"But he has a soft spot for manipulative hard-luck cases. Like an undocumented, single mother who worms her way into his life through his sister."

Elena was coldly furious now. "You don't know anything about me or my life. Those are my cousin's children, but if they were mine, I would not be ashamed of them. And if I _was_ undocumented, how brave of you to threaten me! You must love belittling people who can't retaliate."

Elena stalked out of the room.

Mrs. De Bourgh followed her. "It's not all about you. Darcy is positioned to be a political force by the time he's forty. He could be in the Cabinet by the time he's fifty. None of that will happen if he marries—"

"Me? You're unreal. No wonder he has hang-ups about his consequence."

"If you care about him, you won't hold him back."

Elena was on the bottom rung of the stairs. "No, if I care about him, I'll let him decide what risks to take."

She ran up the stairs and Mrs. de Bourgh strode away through the crowded courtyard.


	36. Chapter 36

Sunday afternoon, Darcy ran cold water in the sink and splashed his face. He'd been up since the early morning, but his brain hadn't been focused in church with Gigi and it wasn't focused now.

When he sat to compose email and respond to budget reports, he drifted before he got anything done. He knew Elena was back in LA, not far away really, and he wanted to see her. He told himself it was because they'd had such a tumultuous day and then no closure. If they were better friends, he would just call. If they could talk over the scare they'd had, it'd be over.

Or not.

He was kidding himself if he thought one conversation would fix his distracted mind.

When he heard the doorbell ring, he straightened his tie and rubbed his eyes. His mother was here to have dinner with them. It was their usual practice when they were all in town.

Darcy listened with half an ear as Gigi told their mother about the tour. There was a fair bit of Elena in the story-telling, which kept him from completely drifting. Otherwise his mind _would_ travel back to the plane ride, the car ride, or that carefree morning they'd spent sightseeing.

Elena dropped out of the story at the end, though Gigi did not tell their mother why she'd left so abruptly.

Their mother sipped her wine and then spoke, with a studied off-handedness. "About this girl, Elena, I wonder if you ought to find a new trainer. Not that I have anything against her, but I think you mentioned that she'll start classes in August, and it makes no sense for you to be confined by her schedule."

"I'm sure we can work it out," Gigi said. She began to say something about Fitz, but their mother wouldn't drop it.

"It was never a long-term solution, was it? I mean, she wants to do more with her life than be your assistant. It's not all about you, sweetheart."

Gigi's eyebrows came together. "I know."

Darcy put his hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to feel guilty."

"Of course not," their mother agreed, "but mixing friends and business is a bad idea. I'm not saying you shouldn't be _friends_ with her, but it's probably time to end the employment. After all, if she won't be your friend unless you pay her, that's not much of a friend."

Darcy eyed his mother. "Why is Elena suddenly on your radar?"

She met his eyes defiantly and Darcy felt a muscle twitch begin in his right eyelid.

"How long has she been on _your_ radar?" she returned. "Or should I not ask?"

Gigi shifted uncomfortably. "I hope you'll try to like her, Mom, because Charles is dating her sister. They're going to be around."

Their mom's eyes flew to Darcy. "Then that was what— Well, that's a relief." She smiled. "I admit, I misunderstood the situation."

Darcy's mood darkened as his mother's lightened. "Mom, did you question Elena about this?"

She paused. Their mother often neglected to tell them things, but she was too proud to lie. "If I did, as an employee, Elena—"

Gigi gasped. "Mom, not again!"

Darcy just pressed his fingers to his eyes. "Don't worry Gigi, Elena already thinks we're crazy."

Their mother's lips thinned. "We had a polite conversation. You act like I barged into her awful apartment and beat information out of her."

Darcy laughed. "That's a wonderful image. I'd like to see how it turned out."

It made no sense, but Darcy felt relieved after his mother's confession. It was because, he realized several minutes later, he now had an air-tight reason to contact Elena again: to apologize for his mother.

Darcy called her that night, after his mother left. He explained why he'd called, but Elena's reply was muffled, and then there was a child crying in the background.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Darcy repeated.

"Just a sec."

He heard her speaking to another person, and a man's voice.

"Are you busy?" Darcy asked. "I can call back when you're at home."

Elena chuckled and then sighed. "I _am_ at home. It would be quieter almost anywhere else."

Darcy didn't know who was in her home and again berated himself for assuming he knew what her life was like. Every time he thought he had handle on who she was, he looked like an idiot.

He took a chance. "Would you like to get out of there for a while? Meet up somewhere? I know it's late, but I fly out tomorrow."

There was more crying in the background and Elena sighed. "You know, I would. Where at?"

It was impossible to get anywhere quickly in LA, so it was forty-five minutes later when they met up at a coffee shop in Los Feliz. Elena spotted Darcy easily as he approached, his height made it easy to pick him out of the crowd.

"I'm glad we have a chance to talk," she told him, after they'd got drinks and gone back out to walk. The streets were lit by the warm orange glow of pie shops, coffee places, and other trendy restaurants. Elena sipped her hot chocolate. It was weird to feel like she knew Darcy so well, and yet was something less than a friend.

"I wanted to thank you in person," she continued. "I should've realized at the time that Wick demanded money...but I didn't. And I wish I could say I'll pay you back, but realistically, that's not going to happen any time soon."

Darcy's straight shoulders slumped slightly. "There's nothing to pay back. If I'd dealt with Wick the first time, your sister wouldn't have fallen for his scam. I hope you'll forget about it. Gigi would kill me if you tried to pay it back."

"It's a lot of money. Thank you."

Darcy turned his head away, his profile lit up by the never-ending stream of car headlights. "I didn't mean for you to know about that part."

"I didn't tell my parents, but I had to tell you just once how much I appreciate it. I never could have come up with the money in time, and for our family—it could've gone from bad to worse."

Darcy paused, then continued to walk, restlessly. He kept his face forward, like he'd decided not to look at her for the rest of the night. "You're welcome. Now it's my turn. I apologize for my mother. She hasn't taken well to having adult children."

Elena smiled a little. "I can't really blame you. My mom doesn't always ask for our input either."

They stopped with a clump of people at the corner, waiting for the streetlight to change. Darcy stared at the turning cars. "I suppose both our mothers would do anything—wise or not—for their children's future."

"That's the truth."

"And my mother has never learned to doubt herself. It's not healthy. I guess I'm lucky to have stumbled earlier in life, since I tend to take after her."

Elena felt a knot in her stomach. "That's true. Have I—have I done that for you?"

Darcy cleared his throat and took a sip of coffee. "Yes. I appreciate it."

"Darcy—"

He raised a hand sharply, as if he were in pain. "I should've apologized over the phone." The crosswalk sign changed, and the people around them streamed off the sidewalk and across the intersection. Darcy stood still, a rock in the stream, finally facing her, even putting a hand on her arm as if to anchor her. "I don't want to be repetitive, but I still feel the way I did before. I can hardly think straight when I'm with you. If I have no chance... I need to hear it again." He grimaced. "Probably because I'm a stupid, stupid man."

Elena's knotted stomach dropped away altogether. "You're not so stupid. I still can't picture how it would work, but... if it was only up to me, I might say yes."

Darcy's dark eyes opened wide. "Would you?"

Elena winced. This time it would hurt more, since this time she cared about him. "But you weren't wrong about all the obstacles. I'm curious if it's possible. I—I'd _like_ us to be possible, but…"

Darcy tentatively touched her cheek with his thumb. His face was unreadable, but this time not from lack of emotion. This time it was an emotion too intense for Elena to take in, or maybe she wasn't ready.

"Let's leave the clauses out of the thesis for now," he said, with a flickering smile. "Let's go back to you liking the idea."

He spread his hand on her cheek and she leaned into it slightly. "You used a phrase once," Elena said, "exploratory policy analysis. Maybe we should try that."

Darcy leaned toward her, almost touching his forehead to hers. "That's a good idea. I tend to jump into a policy proposal before the committee is ready, but exploring options is always..."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "I didn't really want to talk politics. It was a metaphor."

Darcy grinned. "I got that." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, a strangely formal and old-fashioned gesture that totally fit him. "Thank you for giving me another chance."


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Hi people! Sorry for the long hiatus. It's been a busy flu/school/work semester, but my kids finished their days of standardized testing last week, so that's nice! Also... I've been unsure about the last few chapters, because I don't know how to write fluff! And maybe I don't know how to write conflict either, but I am at least comfortable with it. Anyway, here come some fluffier chapters now that Elena and Darcy are giving each other a chance...suggestions are more than welcome!**

They crossed the street finally, Darcy still holding her hand, fingers entwined. Elena was thankful for the relative darkness after the dazzle of headlights. She was happy, she knew she was, but her happiness was a lot like panic. She'd been hoping ever since he drove away from her parents' place that she could see him again. That they might have a chance at...something. But now she'd gotten into completely new territory.

Darcy coughed as they walked slowly through the warm night. "I feel like we need to speak right away lest we fall into some kind of awkward purgatory for past sins."

Elena laughed, a little uncontrolled. "You're right. What should we talk about? Do we have anything to talk about when we're not angry, or desperate, or confused?"

"I hope so. I'd hate to tell Gigi I failed before our first date."

Elena squeezed his hand lightly. "I guess this doesn't count?"

"No, definitely not. I need a chance to do better than this." He thought for a minute. "DC could count."

Elena shook her head. "No way. That was sight-seeing, and I was coerced into it by my boss. I had a good time, because her brother was surprisingly cool, but it wasn't a date."

Darcy swung their hands. "I can't tell you how shocked I was to see you in my office. I literally thought I was imagining things. Or that we'd hired a doppelgänger of the girl I left in LA."

"That was so embarrassing. For the record, I wouldn't have gone in, but your assistant was showing me around and practically shoved me in there."

"She does that: shoves people into small rooms unexpectedly. We're working on it."

Elena laughed. "I wanted to melt into the carpet when you came in. I bet my face was something else when I came out. I hope I didn't start any rumors with your employees."

Darcy winced.

"I was kidding! Did I really?"

"I did. Taking you on a tour was stupid of me. Apparently you've been the source of serious speculation this week."

Elena smacked her head. "Maybe that's where your mother's 'sources' came from. I couldn't believe she thought we were engaged."

Darcy tripped and almost spit out his coffee. "Engaged? You must have laughed yourself to sleep."

Elena didn't tell him she'd been too angry to see the funny side of it right away. He would feel awful if she told him the hurtful things his mom had said. She told him the funny parts instead: his mom in the laundry room, lint stuck to her back.

Darcy laughed, but also sighed. "I'm a lot like her, in personality. I thought I was avoiding her faults, but you showed me how wrong I was."

"I was pretty harsh."

"Yes, but I deserved worse," he said emphatically. "I truly hadn't realized how cut off and self-centered I'd become. You made me question myself, and I needed that. I still do. I need someone in my life who doesn't see things the way I do." He grinned, "And is blunt about it."

"I got your back, then. But just so you know, I don't feel the need to question myself, so there's no need to return the favor."

Darcy laughed.

"Really," Elena said, "I know I said some stupid things, and was more than a little unfair to you."

"When did you decide to give me a chance?" Darcy asked curiously.

"Your letter cleared up a lot, but I still thought you were..." Elena trailed off. "Not my type. But then Fitz and Gigi and even your assistant... it was hard to believe you were a jerk when everyone liked you so much."

"Plenty of people _dislike_ me too, I'll have to keep them out of your way."

Elena snorted, "I can believe that."

"Can I ask you something else? Who's the guy in your apartment that I heard on the phone? Is he the same guy I saw when I dropped you off?"

Elena laughed. "Oh, are you worried about him? That's Carl. He's dating my cousin."

"Oh. That's good to know."

"Yeah, he did ask me out a couple times," Elena tactfully rounded the number down, way down, "but I never even thought about it. Even when I could only argue with you, I was more interested in you than him."

"Will your parents mind?"

Elena bit her lip uncomfortably. "They have other things to worry about. My mom will ask you to help with their citizenship. I've explained that there's no path right now, but she still feels like we just need to find the right person to ask."

"There are a few ways... if they've been the victim of a crime, for instance..."

Elena shook her head. "I've looked into it, trust me. This fall they're going to go to the consulate and get Valerie's dual citizenship. That way if...if they do get deported, she can go with them. Or she might stay with me, but at least she could visit them more easily."

Darcy squeezed her hand as they stopped at the top of the hill and looked over the dark expanse of Griffith Park. "I know it looks bleak, but the chances Trump will win are very low. Who knows? Maybe we'll finally pass a bipartisan Dream Act and Noa, at least, will have a pathway to citizenship."

"I'm not going to hold my breath. We got our hopes up a few years ago, and...well, you know how that went. Anyway, I don't expect you to solve everything for my family. It's enough that I can respect what you believe."

Darcy brought her hand up and kissed it. "Thank you."

Elena's hand tingled. She brought her other hand up and touched the hair above his ear. "I'm glad you came to stay at our cabin."

Darcy retraced his steps with Elena down the hill, back toward the coffee shop, almost painfully happy, and painfully aware that he had to leave in the morning.

"Do you want to go to the beach?" he asked suddenly.

"Tonight? What time is it?" Elena pulled out her phone.

"I don't know, but I don't want to go home. Are you too tired?" He wanted more time with Elena, possibly forever, and he couldn't stand to walk away right then. He knew tonight was theirs, in this bubble, but when it was over, all bets were off.

Elena put her phone away again, temporarily pushing off real life. Did she know how he felt? "Sure, let's go. Venice or Santa Monica will still be lit."

"We could even take the Metro," Darcy said. "There's a station a few blocks away."

"Is that safe in the middle of the night?"

Darcy shrugged. "Maybe? Let's try it."

Elena laughed. "I really did make you question yourself. Soon you'll be letting Gigi use Uber."

Darcy groaned. "The day _may_ come."

Hours later, Darcy and Elena rode the train back to their cars in Los Feliz. Elena leaned against him, and Darcy thought he could sit forever with her head on his shoulder. He hadn't stayed up all night in years, not for fun anyway, spending time with someone he cared about.

The sun came up as they climbed the stairs at their station.

"Promise you'll still remember this the next time I come," Darcy said. "I have this horrible fear that the next time I see you, you'll revert to hating me."

Elena kissed his cheek again. "I promise I'll warn you if I revert to hating you."

Noa was too happy to be much shocked. "I knew he was a good guy. Charles likes him so much. I'm so happy for you!"

"It may be a bit premature. He lives on the other side of the country—"

"But you said he has a house here! Of course he'll be back a lot."

"And I'll be so busy with school, I have a ton of difficult classes my last semester."

"Elena," Noa sounded exasperated. "He'll understand about that. If you belong together, you can make it work. Did you call me to celebrate or not?"

"I just want to hear you defend him. And tell me I'm not nuts for indulging optimism."

"If you're crazy, I'm certifiably insane," Noa said. "I'm going with Charles to a dinner party next weekend."

"What? Already? I figured he'd keep things low-key for a while."

"Well, he's not famous or anything, it's not like reporters follow him around. But he said trying to keep us a secret would make people more suspicious than doing it outright."

"So you have to drive up to Sacramento for one dinner party?"

"I'm going to go up Friday, after daycare, and drive home Sunday."

"All weekend? That's...serious."

"It's not like that. I'm going to stay with Juan and Isabel."

Elena was relieved. "I hope you have fun."

"I will. And some time you should come with me! Charles says Darcy flies into Sacramento as often as LA, and we could all hang out."

Elena couldn't quite picture this, but she responded encouragingly.

Darcy wasn't big on texting, which didn't surprise Elena at all, but he did call her every night. The time change was a little hard to work out, but despite that, and any initial weirdness to talking on the phone with him, Elena enjoyed it. They found themselves talking longer and longer each evening, rather than less. And if Elena frequently disagreed with Darcy, even getting seriously ticked off on occasion, he didn't seem to enjoy it any less. Elena didn't know as much about policy or politics as he did, but she was learning fast, and she and Darcy worked out baseline rules to keep from getting too annoyed with each other. And frequently they ignored politics altogether and talked about other things.

Gigi was beyond happy. She even began to jog through the neighborhood with Elena occasionally—braving the stares and occasional pictures. She was thinking about going to school on the East Coast, and excited with each new contract that closed and loosed her ties to her old life.

And when Darcy came back to town in late August, Gigi and Elena both met him in the driveway when he pulled in.


End file.
